BOUNTIFUL HARVEST OF ORGANIC VEGETABLES

                         More than 10 tonnes of organically-grown vegetables have been harvested from the 100-acre Government Agriculture Farm, Anchal, during the last one month.Farm superintendent, T.A. Kalpana, said that the crops can easily be harvested for another 90 days.In view of the campaign against vegetables with high pesticide residue gaining momentum, the vegetables harvested from the farm are selling like hotcakes.People are making a beeline to the vegetable counter at the farm and the district panchayat headquarters here.

                   In one month, long beans and bitter gourd worth Rs. 70,000 each was sold from the farm. The vegetables from the farm are sold at prices much lower that that of the same ones in the open markets coming from neighbouring states.It was as part of the efforts to provide organic vegetables to the people of Kollam this Onam that the district panchayat in association with the agriculture department earmarked 100 acres for the purpose.The seeds were for 10 different vegetables were sown during mid-May.District panchayat president, S. Jayamohan, who visited the farm on Monday, said that favourable climatic conditions this year after the seeds were sown helped the crops a lot.He said that in addition to organic vegetables sold at lower prices, the farm is also making a strong market intervention in price control during the Onam season.

                At the farm counter, the vegetables are sold separately. But the counter at the district panchayat headquarters they are sold in kits comprising eight vegetables of 500 grams each at the rate of Rs. 110 per kit. The vegetables are cucumber, snake gourds, bitter gourds, long beans, ladies finger, pumpkin, ivy gourds and bottle gourd.Mr. Jayamohan said that crops of more vegetable varieties banana varieties and tuber crops are also getting ready for harvest.While congratulating the farm staff and workers led by Ms. Kalpana for their efforts behind the success of the vegetable crops, Mr. Jayamohan said that the farm has also put more people in the district into a mood to grow and consume organic vegetables. 

Prof. John Kurakar