Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar will launch the State-level marketing of the Aranmula Rice produced in the Aranmula Puncha and a rice shop on May 12.
According to P.N. Thomas and Saseendran Nair, Aranmula Thechikkavu-Thoombady-Pannivelimoola Paadashekhara Samiti leaders, the villagers had made elaborate arrangements to make the ceremony a historic event.
The government launched paddy cultivation in the Aranmula Puncha that had been lying uncultivated for the past 15 years, as part of its Mission Green Aranmula programme under the Haritha Keralam project in 2016.
Mr. Sunil Kumar had taken special interest in reviving paddy cultivation in the Aranmula puncha. The government also deputed J. Sajeev, award-winning agriculture officer, as the special officer of its Mission Green Aranmula programme.
Target exceeded
According to Mr Sajeev, paddy cultivation has already been completed in 101.01 hectares of land against the original target of 56 ha. Aranmula witnessed a historic harvest festival on February 20 and the government has decided to launch Aranmula Rice as a special brand.
₹22.50 a kg
Oil Palm India Ltd. (OPIL) is procuring the paddy produced at Aranmula Puncha at ₹22.50 a kg and Aranmula Rice is all set to hit the market on May 12. The OPIL expects to procure Aranmula Rice worth ₹1.18 crore with the completion of harvest this year. The Aranmula Rice shop will be managed by a women’s group that actively took part in the popular agitation against the controversial Aranmula airport project, Samiti leaders said.
