As dusk sets in, slimy African snails with thick, brown shells sneak out of dry leaves in search of their favourite food- ripe cardamom. Routs of snails cling on to the plants, nibbling at the fruit. The sleepless nights of Idukki cardamom farmers have now got worse with the onslaught of snails. They already stay awake to ward off attack from wild animals and the farmers are running out of their wits to deal with the sheer number of snails.

“We are starting to feel that there will never be good times. Wild boars, porcupines, parrots and now even snails ruin our months of hard work,” said Rishi P G, a farmer from Nedunkandam. Rishi farms various crops, including cardamom, on 25 acres of land. Many workers depend on this farm.

Snails start appearing on the farm at around 6 pm in the evening. Rishi said he goes to the farm to catch snails even at night. The presence of snails was found in the cardamom plantations of High Range four years ago. The snails, which were not much of a nuisance then, are now multiplying and causing huge damage to the cardamom plants. This is the season of harvesting cardamom. Cardamom plants take 90 days from flowering to be ready for harvest. Snails feed on flowers and young pods that develop from flowers. Idukki Principal Agricultural Officer Seleenamma K P said that African snails feed on more than 500 types of plants like papaya, turmeric, ginger, etc.

“They have a lifespan of five to ten years and reach full maturity within a year of hatching. About 80 per cent of the eggs laid by mature snails will hatch. In adverse weather conditions, these snails can remain dormant within the thick shell for up to three years. That is why it becomes difficult to control snails," she said.

At present one kg cardamom fetches up to Rs 2,400, but farmers fear that they will run into debt, if their crops get damaged. Sherly Sabu from Kanchiyar said that snails are causing damage not only to cardamom plants but also to vegetable crops and other crops.