Problems of rice farming

 Kerala has 100% literacy rate,apt climate and abuntant water,and fertile soil for agriculture the people don't have enough rice to eat.The father in the poem "Rice" said that"only fools turn to rice farming  for again".According to statitics 84% of food grain come from other states.Kerala doesn't produce even one fourth of total requirement of rice.Also the price has increased from 12per kg in 2007 to Rs 25per kg in 2010.If the situation continue,people may have to pay Rs 150per kg.
This due to many reasons,
Farmers are retreating from farming, lack of farm land, climatic changes like unseasonable rainfall and rising temperature are a few of them. Urbanisation leads to decrease in the availability of land for paddy cultivation.
The programms by Government for increasing paddy cultivation didn'nt seem yield positive results.
The problems of marketing arises from middle men. By avoiding them farmers can sold product at better rate. The use of quality seeds, fertilisers, inadequate storage, subsidies can improve this situation. 

Brief summary

The poem "Rice" written by chemmanam chacko and traslated by Prof.Ayyappa

Paniker is a superb satire.The poem filled with sarcasm.Society has changed and

Chemmanam chacko(1926)

changed. The agricultural land, kerala changed from food crop  cultivation. The youth goes to gulf countries. There will be atleast one person who working at abroad. They send money to their relatives.
Some farmres stopped farming and others started cultivating cash crops.In this poem the son of a rice farmer goes to north lndia for research on toys with husk.When he returns there is no husk.Everywhere filled with rubber.People control machine for making rubber sheets.Poet gives the picture of chief minister flying to the centre to request for more food grains.The son with an intense desire  to eat 'athikara'rice.
A number of malayalam words  are used in the poem.It consist irregular stanza."Rise" is a prose poem in simplest style.The varanganal canal, athikara rice, modan,vellaran(rice varieties)noise of shouting as oxen draw the plouph in the field,his father's handloom dhoti stained with yellow mud are became memories.Palm thatched houses are gone.Field is planted with arecanut palms and along the canal there were dealwood trees.
The glitter of money tempting the farmers.The government give rice to those who have no paddy fields.The market ruling us.Kerala becoming a consumer state.People want to catch the fish without wetting the fingers.
In this poem the quote by Rabindranath Tagore became relevent.He said that "The highest education is that which merely gives us information,but makes our life in harmony with all existence".