From next year, the Kerala Bala Krishi Sastra Congress will be organised jointly by the Departments of Agriculture and Education, Minister for Agriculture V. S. Sunil Kumar has said.
He was delivering the inaugural address at the 7th edition of the congress on Tuesday. ‘Organic Kerala, Healthy Kerala’ is the focal theme of this edition.
Being taken over by the State government will ensure that the conduct of the congress will not be affected by financial difficulties, and will give a much-needed boost to the promotion of agriculture among students, he said.
The Minister stressed the importance of making farming a part of the lives of the younger generations, saying that unless they fulfill the responsibility of carrying on the agricultural legacy of the previous generations, the State cannot sustain itself.
Discussions are on to devise a curriculum on agriculture, under the government's initiative to introduce it in the school syllabus next year, he said.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Health Minister K. K. Shylaja said that without the success of the Agriculture Department’s organic farming drive, her department’s efforts would be in vain, as most diseases afflicting the State’s population are borne of unhealthy food habits.
On the occasion, the budding agricultural scientists submitted a set of suggestions to Mr. Sunil Kumar, including a request for a students’ trip led by him to the Kerala Agricultural University at Vellayani in order to spread the message of an ‘Organic farming-friendly Kerala,’ a request for the award of grace marks for participation in the agricultural congress, and for the design of a scientific and creative agricultural curriculum.
The congress is being organised by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA), in association with Agri Friends.
Around 400 students are participating in paper presentations, performances and exhibitions at the two-day event being held at Jawahar Balabhavan.
MLA, K. Muraleedharan, C. K. Peethambaran, Kerala Bala Krishi Sastra Congress chairman, Raju Narayana Swamy, Agriculture Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary, K. Anvar Sadath, Executive Director of IT@ School and Biju Prabhakar, Director of Agriculture Development and Farmers' Welfare, were also present at the ceremony.
