Failure of monsoon rains is likely to lead to a sharp decline in paddy production in Kerala.

The state consumes about 41 lakh tonne of rice every year with 80% of the requirement satisfied by importing rice from other states.

According to government reports, paddy cultivation on 65,762 acres of land from eight districts has been severely affected by lower rains. Expert sources say paddy production could fall by 40-45% of the normal yearly production.

According to the regional office of the India Meteorological Department, the total annual deficit in rainfall was 25%. The June-September southwestern monsoon was shorter by 24% and the October-December northwestern monsoon was seen lower by 35%.

Palakkad district, which produces most of the paddy in the state, got 22% lower rains during the southwest monsoon. The agriculture department reports that 7014.5 hectares of paddy farms in the district have been partially or fully damaged.

Local sources say the northeastern Palakkad district is expected to bear the brunt of the drought as already 45,000 hectares of paddy fields are facing crop loss due to water scarcity.

Some farmers have abandoned the second crop of paddy due to the failure of the monsoon. Paddy cultivation in the district is mainly dependent on irrigation water as the largest number of dams and inter-state water reservoirs are situated here.

In Thrissur district, 890 hectares have been reported to be under stress due to the drought-like situation. Similarly, Pathamthitta is reporting crop loss from 1,780 hectares, Malappuram from 2,127 hectares and Kasargod from 240 hectares. In Kottayam and Alappuzha districts, 5,000 hectares of paddy was destroyed to salt water seeping in, a government source said.

Though rice is the main foodgrain in Kerala, the area under paddy cultivation in the state is decreasing regularly.

During 1961-62, the total paddy area was 7.53 lakh hectares; during 1975-76 it was 8.76 lakh hectares. Thereafter, a steady decrease in paddy cultivation was recorded and the figure reached 2.29 lakh hectares during 2007-08.