Chottappare residents cultivate paddy after decades

With the support of the deputy commissioner and Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP), the residents of Chottappare tribal hamlet in Siddapura have started cultivating paddy, after a gap of nearly 10 years.

The hamlet falling under the limits of Chennayyanakote Gram Panchayat comprises of 60 tribal families.

The people here rely upon agriculture for their livelihood. But the menace of wild animals and scarcity of water had forced the tribals to abandon agricultural activity and render the paddy fields barren.

DC’s gesture

During a meeting, the deputy commissioner assured the providing of necessary facilities to the tribals to carry on agriculture, which has created a ray of hope among the farmers. Encouraged by the deputy commissioner’s gesture and with the help of ITDP, the tribals have resumed farming.

The paddy cultivation has been carried out by Chottappare hamlet residents, in a land sprawling over 30 acres.
Now, the paddy fields are filled with greenery and the tribals expect a bounty harvest. The joy of agriculture has returned after 15 years. Most of the people who own agricultural lands have transplanted paddy.

District ITDP Officer Shivakumar said that they on the directions by the deputy commissioner motivated the tribals to carry out paddy cultivation. The seeds were distributed for free. The departments concerned provided the necessary equipment, tools and subsidy to the farmers.

Locals said that they have installed fences to prevent wild animals from invading the agricultural lands. As there was good rain this year, they decided to resume paddy cultivation.

“However, the problems of water scarcity and power supply need to be addressed. None of the 17 borewells drilled under Ganga Kalyana scheme of the government has been provided with power supply, even after seven years of drilling these borewells. This is one of the reasons for the stalling paddy cultivation,” said J K Basappa, a resident of the hamlet.

J K Raju, a farmer from the hamlet, said the hamlet residents restarted paddy cultivation owing to the encouragement by the deputy commissioner.

Raju also requested the department concerned to provide them with a power supply to draw water from borewells.