Kerala - Thrissur   

Harvest begins in Pullazhi paddy fields

— PHOTO: K.K. Najeeb

CELEBRATION TIME: Harvest festival being held at the Pullazhi paddy fields on Sunday.

Thrissur: Harvest of crop that recovered from last year’s army worm attack began in the Pullazhi paddy fields on Sunday.

Farmers and farm workers took out a procession from Olarikkara to Cherupalam Thekke Nel Sambharana Kendra prior to a harvest festival.

Deputy Mayor M. Vijayan inaugurated the festival. Therambil Ramakrishnan, MLA, laid the foundation for strengthening a bund in the region using Central assistance of Rs. 10 lakh.

Mr. Ramakrishnan and Principal Agricultural Officer C. R. Ramesh handed over a cheque for Rs. 6. 5 lakh to the Pulazhi Kolpadavu Cooperative Society as the State Government’s assistance to farmers who suffered losses owing to outbreak of the army worm.

“Though the festival is being officially inaugurated today, the month-long harvest will begin only on February 5. The farmers have had a bumper crop,” said Pulazhi Kolpadavu Cooperative Society chief Kolangattu Gopinathan.

Last November, army worms had attacked 500 acres of the 750 acres of paddy fields in Pullazh on the outskirts of Thrissur city. Farmers sprayed the fields with Quinolphos and Carbaryl spray solution. An acre of vegetation was sprayed with 200 litres of Quinolphos spray solution made by diluting 600 ml of the pesticide concentrate (3 ml of the pesticide concentrate was added to one litre of water). Carbaryl spray solution for an acre of paddy field was prepared by diluting 800 gm of pesticide powder. After spraying the pesticide, water from the paddy fields was drained out.

“This proved to be effective. The outbreak of the pest could be checked. Seven to eight tonnes of paddy a hectare is expected to be harvested,” said Kerala Agricultural University’s Paddy Mission Assistant Director P. V. Balachandran.

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