Productivity of the Soil
Ullavur
is a place close to the Chengalpattu - Kanchipuram Road.
River
Paalaar taking a curve at the famed Thirumukoodal, flows towards the east to
meet the sea at Pudupattinam, enriching agricultural lands on her way.
Situated
a couple of kilometers on the left bank of Paalaar, a link road from Ullavur
meets the highway about three kilometers from Thirumukoodal, towards
Chengalpattu.
According
to Tamil Palm leaf records of 1764, Ullavur had about
240 hectares of cultivated lands, of which
225 hectares were irrigated Nanjai lands &
15 hectares unirrigated Punjai lands.
It is
astounding to see the 1764 Data on the Productivity of these lands
225 Hectares of Nanjai lands produced 1200 tonnes of
Paddy
15 hectares of Punjai lands produced 50 tonnes of
Varagu, Cholam and Kambu
The
average productivity of Paddy had been nearly 6 tonnes per hectare.
According
to Agricultural Statistics 2015, average productivity in India was about 2.4
tonnes per hectacre.
Government
statistics classify, TN under high productivity of >2.5 tonnes / ha. As per
2022 statistics of the Govt of India, productivity of Rice in TN was about 3.04
tonnes / ha
This is after the green revolution and technological changes!
Households and People engaged in Agriculture
Number
of households in 1764 as per records:
There had
been just 83 households, in Ullavur of which
Just about
70 households were engaged in agriculture
The rest
of the households were that of
2 Chetty
Traders,
a carpenter,
a blacksmith,
a
goldsmith,
a
potter,
a cotton
refiner,
an
oilman,
a
barber,
and a
washerman.
The
number of bullocks in Ullavur recorded at that time was 240.
Bullocks
had worked as hard as humans in the production and transportation of foodgrains and
together with the cows, cattle had given valuable manure to enrich the soil in
the olden days.
Apart
from the production of milk, which was by natural means, the huge contribution
made by the cattle to keep the population well fed. Hence, this civilization continued
to revere the animals as a mark of gratitude.
1759 CE – Cattle – A pawn in the hands of mercenaries
A person known as Morari Rao, led a body of Mercenary Horsemen. For a payment of Rs.20000, this mercenary army was hired by the French and immediately, areas about 20 miles from Madras were ravaged and desolated by these hordes.
Thousands
and thousands of cattle were swept away from one neighbourhood to be disposed
in another for 2 or 3 annas each.
Their
new owners could not retain them for long, for they were driven away again on a
fresh incursion.
People
soon began to find this out and refused to buy, on which they were ruthlessly
put to sword and their villages burnt.
The
survivors deserted their habitations and took refuge in rocks and jungles or in
various forts.
The
turbulent times of the 1600s and the 1700s were conducive neither for humans
nor for their cattle.
The fate
of Sheep
The
scarcity of good animals, the inferiority of the breed, and fastidiousness of
the authorities in their definition of what constituted “Table Sheep” compelled
the ewes to be had in the breeding season in their plump condition.
The
fertility of the lands, which requires to be maintained by folding sheep on
them naturally suffered due to diminution in the flocks.
Collector Lionel Place tried to neutralize this drain by importation from the West. He was supported by the Government by advancing 10000 Pagodas for the encouragement of private enterprise in this direction and insisting on a monthly supply of sheep for stocking the Jaghire and for the consumption of the garrisons and cantonments, being furnished by the neighbouring Rajahs Kalahasti, Venkatagiri.
The desire for immediate gain deprived the fields of necessary manure and the farm stock of the fodder required to be maintained in the hot months when the pasture is poor.
Despite the efforts of Mr Place, the fertility and prosperity of the district dropped and its cattle the most miserable to be seen anywhere in the Madras Presidency.
This pitiable condition that continued for long, called for drastic measures such as chemical fertilizers to save ourselves from disastrous situations.
Our
current dependence on urea and other fertilizers and the premium prices of
Organically grown food making them out of the reach of the common citizens are
all due to such short sightedness.
Similar
is the situation of the native breed of cows being replaced by imported cow
breeds and the premium prices of A2 milk.
Encroachment and reduction of common pasture lands have only taken us on a downward spiral. Abandonment and indiscriminate killing of cattle can be addressed when common pasture lands are rightfully restored.
It is
considered progressive to talk about healthy food options and equality today.
If the only
we pause to learn about society our ancestors created and sustained for
centuries, we cannot help but marvel and emulate them.
Our
ancestors till the 1700s, practiced what is being preached now.
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