Years back, if we go inside the aracanut plantations even at noon, we can hear the sound of crickets. It appears as if we are in some forest or hill station. Now such Aracanut plantations are slowly disappearing from Kerala. Mafia that destroys Mother Nature by cutting trees, destroying paddy fields and green valley have now targeted on aracanut plantations most recently. Aracanut plantations are most common in Malabar and Thrissur districts, particularly at Pazanji. It used to serve bread for hundreds of peasants from the last few centuries; it was a part of their life style too. But when Aracanut cultivation is under loss, many people are selling their agricultural lands to real estate mafia. Now Aracanut plantations are under threat!
When drainage is made in an aracanut plantation hundreds of pits are automatically formed that store rain water for future use. Thus each and every plant of an aracanut plantation used to nourish the earth by ‘cultivating water’ in its own natural ways! As wages in Kerala has witnessed a multiple heap in the recent years, now no one is interested in digging drains in aracanut plantations. When agriculturists began to tell about the story of losses, real estate team came into action. They buy big aracanut plantations and using machines, they destroy the whole trees. Using JCB, they fill the whole drains and leveled the earth’s surface. They constructed new roads in those lands, tar it and convert them to plots. When the agricultural land is being converted into house plots, they are selling in lakhs! In Pazhanji, 3 lakhs is the price for 1 cent of land.
Aracanut plantations are normally done in red soil. Red soil will turn to red rocks in future if left unused. According to folk tales and stories told by old people, agriculturists started aracanut plantation in those regions thus protecting the red soil from converting to rocks. It’s also to be noted that aracanut plantations are normally seen near ‘Kol’ paddy fields. So it provides shelters to hundreds of migrating birds as well. When the shelter is lost, migrating birds will leave this place forever!
Earlier in front of every homes of Pazhanji it was common to see heaps of aracanuts and their dried leaves. Their courtyards used to be filled with sacks of aracanut exhibiting the wealth and prosperity of the families. They were considered as the symbol of luck and wealth. But now, they have become just folk tales of past!!!
Article Source :
http://www.veethi.com/articles/aracanut-plantations-are-disappearing-article-2482.htm
Keywords :
Aracanut plantations
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Aracanut plantations in Kerala