Kerala’s Onam feast turns to packet meals after crop losses

Kerala's traditional Onam festival has seen a sharp decline in home-cooked feasts this year after erratic monsoon weather destroyed crops. Many farmers and households have resorted to buying ready-to-eat 'packet Onam sadhya' from restaurants, priced between Rs 250 and Rs 1,000, instead of preparing the meal with their own produce.

An initial assessment by the state agriculture department estimated losses at Rs 127 crore, affecting 45,904 farmers as of August 9. Banana procurement by one farmers' collective dropped from 11 tonnes per day last Onam to barely one tonne this year, while banana prices have risen 30% year-on-year.

Kerala recorded a rainfall deficit of 23% between June 1 and August 15, followed by heavy rain and floods in early August that damaged paddy in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Palakkad districts. Farmers say climate change is disrupting traditional harvest calendars, with crops failing to ripen in time for the festival.