The planting of paddy saplings at the Keezhammakam paddy fields at Mariyapuram in Parassala on Sunday became a festival for the entire village.
As Minister for Tourism Kadakampally Surendran got down to the field to plant the first sapling, those who gathered around burst into cheers.
With him were K.Ansalan, MLA, the Parassala Block Panchayat president V.R.Salooja, poet Murugan Kattakkada and others. Inaugurating the planting festival, the Minister said that farmers and the farming sector were the priorities for the LDF government.
‘A revival’
“Over the past two decades, there have been a lot of misconceptions and negative ideas against agriculture, which has led many to stay away from it. However, now there is a revival in agriculture, due to which cultivation is happening in places where it has not happened in years. The government formulated the Haritha Keralam Mission to bring people back into agriculture,” he said.
Ninety-five farmers have registered for cultivation at the 60-acre plot at Keezhammakam. The high-yielding ‘Uma’ rice variety was used for planting, which was organised jointly by the Agriculture Department and the Keezhammakam paddy field committee.
The Minister presented awards to the farmers’ children who scored high grades in the SSLC and Plus Two examinations.
