REEMERGENCE OF LAND LEASING IN KERALA 79 practices. For details, see K.K. Eswaran Namboodiri, 'Emerging Trends in Agriculture and Land Management in Kuttanad', unpublished M.Phil dissertation, Cochin University of Science and Technology, 1986. 12. For detailed information see M.V. George, 'Recent Trends in Production and Productivity in Kerala Agriculture', in M.A. Oommen (ed.), Kerala Economy since Independence, Oxford and IBH, New Delhi, 1979. Also P.G.K. Panikar, 'Recent Trends in the Area under and Production of Rice in Kerala', Working Paper 116, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum (Mimeo). Also P.S. George, 'Agricultural Price Movements in Kerala', in P.P. Pillai (ed). Agricultural Development in Kerala, Agricole Publishing Academy, New Delhi, 1982. 13. In the case of fertilizers, the price of nitrogen showed a decline for four years from 1975-76 but later with 1980 its price also began to increase steadily. The prices of phosphate and potash also have been increasing. The prices of insecticides were more than doubled during the period 1970-78. 14. According to the Kerala State Planning Board data during this period farm cultivation cost increased by 194 per cent, the prices paid by farmers by 178 per cent and the prices received by farmers by 174 per cent. 15. For a detailed discussion on the relative price position of paddy and other agricultural commodities see P.S. George, op.cit. 16. See Government of Kerala, Kuttanad Enquiry Commission Report, Trivandrum, 1971. Also P.G.K. Panikar, 'Employment Income and Food Intake Among Selected Agricultural Labour Households', Economic and Political Weekly, Special Number, August, 1978. 17. Joan P. Mencher, "The Lessons and Non-lessons of Kerala: Agricultural Labourers and Poverty,' 'Economic and Political Weekly, Special Number, October 1980, p. 1783. 18. A list of households which leased out and leased in land was prepared with the help of panchayat members, knowledgeable farmers and agricultural labour union and peasant organisations. From this list 30 households each of lessors and lessees were taken on a random basis for the study. 19. Anywhere in Kuttanad only half of the tilling operations are done by tractors and the rest by ploughmen with animal labour. This is because of the insistence of trade unions. 20. With this average perhaps one can crudely estimate that about 816 acres in a total paddy area of 4289 acres (i.e. 20 per cent) in the panchayat are leased out during the period 1984-85 crop year. 21. Note that out of the 30 sample lessor households two have been leasing out paddy lands continuously from 1981 onwards, ten have been leasing out from 1982 onwards and seven from 1983 onwards. 22. Note that in Table III we see nearly seven per cent of the lessor households beloAg to casual wage labour group. These two households got paddy land (49 and 100 cents each) under the surplus land distribution scheme which they leased out for advance cash rent for two crops for the simple reason that they were not in a position to invest that year and they needed a lumpsum money. The point, however, needs mention is that this kind of leasing or other types of alienation of land from the beneficiaries of land reforms, although on a smaller scale, are occurring in the region. The main reason for this must be lack of any follow-up action to the land reform measures. But this issue needs to be studied in detail. 23. The average household income in Kerala in 1984-85 worked out to nearly Rs. 12700 and per capita income Rs. 2196. 24. See Pranab K. Bardhan, Land, Labour and Rural Poverty, Oxford University Press, Delhi 1984, p. 135. 25. This is a very generous estimate. The interest rates charged by the local money lenders range from 36 per cent to 60 per cent. The tenants who cannot take loans on the security of leased-in land, largely depend on the local money lenders. On such cases the implicit rate of rent goes up again. 26. See Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, op. cit. 27. The difficulties faced in calculating the cost of production in agriculture are rather well known. We have tried to overcome the difficulties to the extent possible. Separate calculations with and without imputing rent in the cost of own cultivation were made. Similarly, cost has been calculated with and without the