The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Bid to revive paddy farming at Punchakkari

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Friday, May 16, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Bid to revive paddy farming at Punchakkari

Staff Reporter

Meeting to work out modalities

Experts will be asked to prepare report: Minister
Agriculture calendar for Punchakkari mooted

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State government would take necessary steps to resume paddy farming in the fields of Punchakkari, said Agriculture Minister Mullakara Ratnakaran.

He was talking to reporters after inspecting the fields at Nilamakkari, near here, on Thursday. Representatives of various ‘paadasekhara samithis,’ local people, officials of the Agriculture Department, representatives of the Kerala Agricultural University, Revenue officials and people’s representatives will attend a meeting at the Secretariat on May 20 to discuss ways to resume paddy farming at the Punchakkari fields.

The government will find out whether there is any project/study report on ways to carry out effective paddy farming in the area.

If not, experts would be asked to prepare a report, he said.

“The local people have cited various problems, including water logging in the fields, the need to deepen the canal that leads to the Vellayani Lake, lack of proper pump sets, lack of a dedicated power transformer… We will see what needs to be done immediately,” he said.

It is also important to prepare an agricultural calendar for Punchakkari.

Land-owners at Punchakkari who are not interested in paddy cultivation should hand over their land to others who are willing to farm paddy.

If there is any law prohibiting government assistance to those who carry out farming in more than two hectares of land, it needs to be amended. “All this will be done by the government only if the people here assure us that paddy farming would be re-initiated in this vast area,” Mr. Ratnakaran said.

It is the government’s policy to maximise paddy cultivation in the State.

As such, paddy farming has already been initiated in 10,000 hectares in the State, he added.

G.R. Anil, chairman of the standing committee on health of the city Corporation, was among those who accompanied the Agriculture Minister on his visit to Punchakkari.

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