Skip to main content

Organic farming brings rich yield to paddy growers

Return to frontpage
September 08, 2008 00:00 IST
Updated: October 09, 2016 16:30 IST

Vadakkencherry (Palakkad dist.): A group of farmers in Vadakkencherry is elated by the high yield from their farms after they switched over to organic paddy cultivation last year. The crops are more resistant to pest attack and water usage is less.

The jubilant mood among the farmers was evident at the Vadakkencharry padasekharam, comprising a group of 40 farmers, as their second organic paddy harvest festival began on Friday on a 75-acre farm land, which has secured ‘C-1,’ the first stage certification, of Indocert, the Indian organic certification agency.
The initiative, promoted jointly by the Vadakkencherry grama panchayat and the State Agriculture Department and backed by technical assistance from the POABS Group which introduced a buy-back scheme ensuring a premium price for the growers, has already spread to over 200 acres covering Palakkad and Alappuzha districts, the granaries of Kerala. The POABS Group expects to bring at least 500 acres under organic paddy cultivation in Kerala in a phased manner, said POABS Group director Joseph Jacob.
Promotion 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 the district, to ensure a buffer zone to support its policy of organic product exports to the world market.
The harvest festival was inaugurated by M. Chandran, MLA. Principal Agriculture Officer A.K. Sivanandan; K.E. Usha of Kerala Agricultural University, Mannuthy; and Mr. Jacob, among others, attended the festival. Vadakkencherry Padasekhara Samithi treasurer R.N. Sankaran presented the report and secretary P.K. Madhavan welcomed the gathering. Mr. Chandran handed over the harvested paddy to Mr. Jacob, as part of the latter’s paddy buy-back scheme. The farmers are offered Rs.12.50 a kg, which is 25 per cent above the market price. Vadakkencherry grama panchayat president P. Gangadharan presided.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Padasekhara - Organic Farm

3 comments
Read more

Aswathy-Palakkadan Matta - Organic Red Rice from Vadakkencherry Pada Samithi

The Vadakkencherry Pada Samithi produces organic Palakkadan Matta rice. Also, high quality PONNI is grown in the area of this samithi as second crop. Vadakkencherry is a small town in Palakkad district of Kerala state, south India, which is 40 km. north-east of Thrissur and a same distance south-west of Palakkad (Total Distance is 80 km. and this is the exact centre of the route). It is under Alathur Taluk in Palakkad district. National Highway 47 passes through Vadakkencherry. Vadakkencherry Vela and "Eakadesi Villaku" is one of the famous festivals in Kerala. Though the spellings are different, many people confuse Vadakkencherry with Wadakkancheri of Thrissur. To avoid confusion, some refer to Vadakkencherry as Alathur-Vadakkencherry or Vadakkencherry-MBR, which is short for Malabar region. The postal code of Vadakkencherry is 678683. Vadakkancherry is surrounded by other locales such as Puducode, Kannambra, Manjapra, Mudappallur, Kizhakkancherry, Konnanchery and Ay...
3 comments
Read more

Organic Food - Surprising Facts About Organic Food That You Might Want To Know

1. In study after study, research from independent organizations consistently shows organic food is higher in nutrients than traditional foods. Research shows that organic produce is higher in vitamin C, antioxidants, and the minerals calcium, iron, chromium, and magnesium. 2. They’re free of neurotoxins–toxins that are damaging to brain and nerve cells. A commonly-used class of pesticides called organophosphates was originally developed as a toxic nerve agent during World War I. When there was no longer a need for them in warfare, industry adapted them to kill pests on foods. Many pesticides are still considered neurotoxins. 3. They’re supportive of growing children’s brains and bodies. Children’s growing brains and bodies are far more susceptible to toxins than adults. Choosing organic helps feed their bodies without the exposure to pesticides and genetically-modified organisms, both of which have a relatively short history of use (and therefore safety). 4. They are ...
3 comments
Read more