The economic impact of floods on the plantation sector: a study of selected districts in Kerala

Abstract

The people of Kerala have suffered the worst natural calamity in the form of heavy flood in 2018 and this continued for a week. The flood and the landslide had created a havoc in the agricultural sector of Kerala. The worst affected sector in the vagary of nature was the plantation sector. The industry lost around Rs. 3.382 crore due to heavy floods (CDS). The floods and the landslide had a major impact on the major planation crops including rubber, tea, coffee and cardamom. Among the different districts, Wayanad was the worst affected district along with Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. In the given context, this study is an attempt to analyse the economic impact of floods in the plantation sector in Kerala. The study found that the farmers are facing the worst financial crisis due to low price and high cost of production. The major problems faced by farmers are the inadequacy of assistance, reduction in yield and lack of pure water, delay in getting support, repayment of the loan and so on.