From over 26,000 hectares to a mere 6,000 hectares. That, in short, is the alarming state of paddy cultivation in Kanyakumari district. Gone are the green carpets of paddy fields which characterised the stretch from Kavalkinaru to Thovalai and from Thuckalay to Parvathypuram as well as vast areas in Kalkulam and Agastheeswaram taluks Urbanisation, crop conversion and improper maintenance of tanks resulting in inadequate water supply coupled with high cost of labour and labour shortage are cited as reasons for the drastic dip in agriculture in this once green district.