Though food crops like
paddy and
tapioca are cultivated, majority of the population depends on cash crops like
rubber and
black pepper for income. Turmeric,ginger,cardamom,aracanut, coconut, nutmeg,clove,karuva pattai, jackfruit, tamarind where cultivated here.Recently people had diversified into the cultivation of
vanilla on account of the sudden spurt in prices. However, with rubber prices ruling high and vanilla prices nosediving, the original agricultural pattern is seen reemerging. Though there are families with considerable wealth, a large section of the population are farmers with small and medium agricultural holdings. The Kerala Government has recently (2006) accorded high priority to the implementation of the Meenachil River Valley Project. The project aims at diverting excess water from the
Moovattupuzha river into the Meenachil River basin by constructing a tunnel from
Arakkulam to
Melukavu. Once implemented the project will help in increasing the availability of water in the area. ==Festivals==