Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Vegetable farming taken to schools

Thiruvananthapuram: Children in many city schools may proudly supply vegetables to their families for a sumptuous feast this Onam. Minister for Agriculture Mullakara Ratnakaran on Friday inaugurated a scheme launched by the City Corporation in association with the Department of Agriculture and the National Horticulture Mission to promote vegetable farming in 50 government schools.

The Minister planted a sapling on the premises of Cotton Hill School to inaugurate the scheme titled ‘Onathinoru Muram Pachakari.’

Speaking on the occasion, he said a society that turned its back on farming was likely to ignore its culture also. Mr. Ratnakaran said the disregard for agriculture could be responsible for climate changes such as drought and untimely rain.

“Agricultural yield is not for the farmer alone; it belongs to society. This is the social relevance of agriculture,” he told the gathering.

Mayor C. Jayan Babu presided over the function.

V. Sivankutty, MLA, distributed the gardening tools to the students.

Director of the Horticulture Mission Dr. Prathapan; chairman of the Corporation’s standing committee on Health G.R. Anil; and District Education Officer Hakim were among those who participated in the function.

While the Agriculture Department will supply vegetable seeds, the Horticulture Mission will provide the tools and the City Corporation, the organic manure needed for the project.

The Mayor said the success of the pilot project last year had prompted the Corporation to extend the scheme to more schools. He said the scheme was designed to ensure that the children derived satisfaction from farming.

Agriculture Officers in the City Corporation will provide technical advice for the project.

The Mayor added that Parent-Teacher Associations in other schools could take the initiative to implement the scheme.

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