Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

            } else {
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

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		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;In Kerala, the drought has as much to do with nature as with humans -Vinson Kurian&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
		&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Hindu Business Line, 13 March, 2017, http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Hindu Business Line, 13 March, 2017, http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything...&#039;
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&ldquo;This is unlike anything..."/>
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                <strong>In Kerala, the drought has as much to do with nature as with humans -Vinson Kurian</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Hindu Business Line<br /><br /><em>Thiruvananthapuram: </em>J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.<br /><br />&ldquo;This is unlike anything that I've seen in my eight years in the fields,&rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.<br /><br />The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &lsquo;monsoon-gateway&rsquo; state.<br /><br />The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.<br /><br /><em>Worst in a century<br /></em><br />Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.<br /><br />Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&rdquo; he wonders. &ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&rdquo;<br /><br />(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)<br /><br />A group of small-time farmers in Cherian's neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.<br /><br /><em>Fodder crunch<br /></em><br />Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.<br /><br />Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.<br /><br />Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&rsquo;s interior.<br /><br />Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.<br /><br />Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.<br /><br />It has the world&rsquo;s maximum well density&mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece" title="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;In Kerala, the drought has as much to do with nature as with humans -Vinson Kurian&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Hindu Business Line, 13 March, 2017, http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&ldquo;This is unlike anything..."/>
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                <strong>In Kerala, the drought has as much to do with nature as with humans -Vinson Kurian</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Hindu Business Line<br /><br /><em>Thiruvananthapuram: </em>J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.<br /><br />&ldquo;This is unlike anything that I've seen in my eight years in the fields,&rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.<br /><br />The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &lsquo;monsoon-gateway&rsquo; state.<br /><br />The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.<br /><br /><em>Worst in a century<br /></em><br />Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.<br /><br />Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&rdquo; he wonders. &ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&rdquo;<br /><br />(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)<br /><br />A group of small-time farmers in Cherian's neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.<br /><br /><em>Fodder crunch<br /></em><br />Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.<br /><br />Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.<br /><br />Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&rsquo;s interior.<br /><br />Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.<br /><br />Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.<br /><br />It has the world&rsquo;s maximum well density&mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece" title="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Hindu Business Line, 13 March, 2017, http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&#039;,
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Hindu Business Line&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thiruvananthapuram: &lt;/em&gt;J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is unlike anything that I&#039;ve seen in my eight years in the fields,&amp;rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &amp;lsquo;monsoon-gateway&amp;rsquo; state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Worst in a century&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &amp;ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&amp;rdquo; he wonders. &amp;ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A group of small-time farmers in Cherian&#039;s neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fodder crunch&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&amp;rsquo;s interior.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &amp;mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It has the world&amp;rsquo;s maximum well density&amp;mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot; title=&quot;http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

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                <strong>In Kerala, the drought has as much to do with nature as with humans -Vinson Kurian</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Hindu Business Line<br /><br /><em>Thiruvananthapuram: </em>J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.<br /><br />&ldquo;This is unlike anything that I've seen in my eight years in the fields,&rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.<br /><br />The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &lsquo;monsoon-gateway&rsquo; state.<br /><br />The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.<br /><br /><em>Worst in a century<br /></em><br />Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.<br /><br />Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&rdquo; he wonders. &ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&rdquo;<br /><br />(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)<br /><br />A group of small-time farmers in Cherian's neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.<br /><br /><em>Fodder crunch<br /></em><br />Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.<br /><br />Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.<br /><br />Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&rsquo;s interior.<br /><br />Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.<br /><br />Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.<br /><br />It has the world&rsquo;s maximum well density&mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. <br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece" title="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Hindu Business Line<br />
<br />
<em>Thiruvananthapuram: </em>J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.<br />
<br />
&ldquo;This is unlike anything that I've seen in my eight years in the fields,&rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.<br />
<br />
The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &lsquo;monsoon-gateway&rsquo; state.<br />
<br />
The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.<br />
<br />
<em>Worst in a century<br />
</em><br />
Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.<br />
<br />
Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&rdquo; he wonders. &ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&rdquo;<br />
<br />
(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)<br />
<br />
A group of small-time farmers in Cherian's neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.<br />
<br />
<em>Fodder crunch<br />
</em><br />
Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.<br />
<br />
Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.<br />
<br />
Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&rsquo;s interior.<br />
<br />
Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.<br />
<br />
Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.<br />
<br />
It has the world&rsquo;s maximum well density&mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. <br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece">click here</a> to read more. <br />
</div>',
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&ldquo;This is unlike anything...',
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-The Hindu Business Line<br />
<br />
<em>Thiruvananthapuram: </em>J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.<br />
<br />
&ldquo;This is unlike anything that I've seen in my eight years in the fields,&rdquo; he says with a shrug of his shoulders.<br />
<br />
The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the &lsquo;monsoon-gateway&rsquo; state.<br />
<br />
The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent.<br />
<br />
<em>Worst in a century<br />
</em><br />
Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops.<br />
<br />
Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. &ldquo;When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,&rdquo; he wonders. &ldquo;Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.&rdquo;<br />
<br />
(Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.)<br />
<br />
A group of small-time farmers in Cherian's neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle.<br />
<br />
<em>Fodder crunch<br />
</em><br />
Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg.<br />
<br />
Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000.<br />
<br />
Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala&rsquo;s interior.<br />
<br />
Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli.<br />
<br />
Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average &mdash; or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively.<br />
<br />
It has the world&rsquo;s maximum well density&mdash;6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. <br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/in-kerala-the-drought-has-as-much-to-do-with-nature-as-with-humans/article9582338.ece">click here</a> to read more. <br />
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-The Hindu Business Line

Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants.

&ldquo;This is unlike anything...'
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In Kerala, the drought has as much to do with nature as with humans -Vinson Kurian

-The Hindu Business Line Thiruvananthapuram: J Cherian, an MBA in biotech from Scotland, who took to farming on his ancestral property in central Kerala, watches in despair as a merciless March sun beats down on his young plants. “This is unlike anything that I've seen in my eight years in the fields,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders. The administration seemed to concur, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declaring that artificial rain was an option that was seriously being explored in the ‘monsoon-gateway’ state. The government gave further vent to its concern by asking a stunned PepsiCo to drastically cut down usage of groundwater for its Palakkad bottling plant by as much as 75 per cent. Worst in a century Cherian says the drought, widely considered the worst in over a century, has led to wilting of his cardamom, coffee and pepper crops. Cardamom is hypersensitive to dryness and has suffered the most. “When there is not enough water to drink, how can one hope to irrigate the plants,” he wonders. “Even if it were to rain now, it would not make any big difference.” (Even as this was being written, the first showers of summer, heavy at times, lashed parts of the State and helped douse raging wild fires in the vulnerable Western Ghats.) A group of small-time farmers in Cherian's neighbourhood said what was even more painful was the shortage of fodder for cattle. Fodder crunch Milk production has dwindled to half. Fodder, which used to be freely available, commands a premium price of up to Rs. 16 per kg. Depending on the size and growth stage, cattle consume 6-10 kg of fodder a day. Maintaining a cow is now a losing proposition. This is leading to distress sale of cattle for prices as low as Rs. 17,000, for pedigreed animals that command up to Rs. 60,000. Jaimol, another young farmer, who owns a herd of 15 hybrids, says she is finding it difficult to make both ends meet. These are only glimpses of the turmoil in farmlands in Kerala’s interior. Is this a natural calamity or a man-made crisis, hastened by abuse of precious natural resources? Available evidence shows one conspiring with the other to present farmers with a fait accompli. Consider these facts. The State has 44 rivers, of which 41 flow to the west (emptying into the sea) and three to the east. It receives 2.78 times more rainfall than the national average — or five and three times more than Rajasthan and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, respectively. It has the world’s maximum well density—6.6 million wells drilled into the small landscape. Apparently, there is a well for every seven persons in the state. Please click here to read more.