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News - A Kerala State Award for Organic Rice Farmers - ‘Nelkathir’ sparks joy among farmers






Saturday, Aug 15, 2009
Vadakkencherry, Palakkad: Farmers of the Vadakkencherry Padasekhara Samithy, which bagged the State government’s ‘Nelkathir’ award for the best Padasekhara Samithy, are a jubilant lot. The award carries a prize money of Rs.2 lakh, gold medal and citation.

For a group of 40 farmers, who cultivate in a 75-acre farm land along NH-47 at Vadakkencherry grama panchayat, the recognition is timely. Increasing yield, crops’ growing resistance to pest attack and lesser water usage have generated much enthusiasm among the farmers who switched over to organic paddy cultivation two years ago.

The farmers will receive the ‘Nelkathir’ award from Union Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas, in the presence of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, at Mamkombu in Alappuzha on August 17.

Promoted by the Vadakkencherry grama panchayat and the State Agriculture Department, in tune with the Kerala government’s organic policy, and supported by the Poabs group in the form of technical assistance and a buy-back scheme that ensures a premium price to the growers, organic paddy cultivation has spread to over 200 acres covering Palakkad and Alappuzha districts.

The Poabs group wants to bring at least 500 acres under organic paddy cultivation in Kerala in a phased manner, says its director Joseph Jacob.

Propagation of large-scale organic paddy cultivation in Kerala is part of the efforts of the group, which owns the country’s largest multi-crop organic plantation at Nelliampathy in Palakkad district, to ensure a buffer zone to support its policy of organic product exports, he said.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/08/15/stories/2009081552490300.htm

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