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| Food |
Rice is the staple food of the people. The Nair, Ezhavas
and such other castes are not generally vegetarians,
though some individual members may avoid non-vegetarians.
There is no great difference in the dietary habits
of the Christians and Muslims. The routine dietary
in a family consists of breakfast , lunch, tiffin
and supper. Kanji or Rice gruel with some vegetable
curry and pickles formed the main breakfast until
very recently in almost all families, but it has
now been replaced by tea, coffee or other beverages
taken along with dishes like Dosai, Iddali, Poori,
Chappathi and Uppuma. |
The lunch is always substantial, the most important items
of the menu being cooked rice of Choru, special
curries and butter milk. Parboiled rice is used
here instead of Kaccha or raw is that in all culinary
preparations coconut oil is freely used instead
of gingli or mustard oil used in other parts of
India . The tiffin in the afternoon consists of
a cup of tea or coffee and some sweet or delicacy.
The supper which is taken after sunset consists
either of Kanji or similar items as for lunch.
When there was acute scarcity of rice in the wake
of the Second World war, Wheat was used as a substitute
for rice. Preparations of wheat such as Poori
, Chappathi and Uppuma are becoming popular. Owing
to the poor cattle wealth of the District, milk
is used only by richer sections of the community.
Pickles of mango , cherunaranga (lime fruit ),
nellikka (the fruit of phyllanthus emblica), etc
., are popular. The condiments generally
used are turmeric, pepper, ginger, cardamom,
cloves, spices, chilli, mustard, onion, garlic
etc. Hydrogenated oils like Vanaspathi are seldom
used . |
| Agriculture |
Top |
Agriculture forms the livelihood of the majority in the district.
It is also the main factor influencing the economy.
Food crops as well as cash crops are cultivated
here. |
| Paddy |
The
important crop at the low land area
is paddy. Usually hybrid seeds are cultivated.
The total area under cultivation is
24695 hectares.
The
area besides the Meenachil and Vembanad
rivers are below the sea level and forms
part of the Kuttanad belt. The paddy
fields at Pallom, Ettumanoor, Kaduthuruthy,
etc. are known as "upper"
Kuttanad. |
 |
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| Rubber |
Top |
The
area under rubber is estimated to be
107647, which is about 60% of the cropped
area. Kottayam accounts for 25% of the
entire rubber plantation in the country.
The agro-climatic conditions in the
district is best suited for rubber plantation.
|
 |
The
entire district, barring a few villages
in the low land region, lying close
to Vembanad lake, is found to be suitable
for rubber cultivation. One of the factor
for the promotion of rubber in the district
is the location of Rubber Board
Head quarters and Rubber Research Institute
of India (RRII).It s tha only agriculture
crop which provides an assured and steady
income to the farmer. |
|
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| Coconut |
Top |
 |
Coconut
is the second important crop being cultivated
in 41531 ha in the district. The area
under coconut had been recording a steady
decline over the last two decades. The
area shrinked from 51,115 ha in 1981-82
to 41,531 ha in 1993-94. The cultivation
of coconut is mainly confined to three
taluks viz. Vaikom, Kottayam and Changanacherry,
comprising the low lands and midlands
is being replaced by rubber.
|
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| Pepper |
Pepper
is also an important crop in the district.
The crop is mostly found in the mid
and high land portions of the district,
taken as intercrop. Pure crop plantations
are not very common in the district.
Being an important export commodity,
the pepper has a prime place in the
economy. But the highly fluctuating
prices and the "Quick wilt"
disease has discouraged the farmers
from the expansion of the crop leading
to its decline from 12,868 ha in 1981
to 8,783 ha in 1994. |
|
|
| Cocoa |
Top |
Cocoa is cultivated in 2,827 ha in the district. The area
under crop had been dwindling due to the high
demand of rubber plantation among farmers. However,
the crop is still found to be a viable inter crop
among Coconut and Arecanut gardens. As farmers
are now getting better prices for Cocoa, it is
likely to pick up in future, especially in low
lying areas. |
| Pineapple |
Pineapple is another horticulture that is popular in the
district. The present area under pineapple is
estimated to be around 783 ha. The crop is both
taken as pure crop and mixed crop. The crop is
recommended for inter cropping in the young rubber
plantations. It is also possible to take the crop
in the boundaries of other crop provided sufficient
sunlight is available. |
Top |
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