More than 50 cents of land within the Kollam Police Club complex that was lying idle and overgrown with shrubbery is now a rich organic vegetable farm.
The maiden harvest from this farm took place on Friday morning and was inaugurated by Assistant Commandant of the Armed Reserve Police camp R. Baiju.
Grade sub inspectors from the camp Nizar M.H. and S. Krishna Kumar, who supervise the farm, said the maiden harvest comprised a basket full of ladies fingers and these, as per the suggestion of the City Police Commissioner S. Satheesh Bino, was sold to the mess of the Armed Reserve Police camp.
It was at the initiative of Mr. Bino that the idea of utilising the land for a vegetable from got promoted. It was quickly complemented by the Agriculture Department. Assistant Agriculture Officer (Kollam) D. Shaji took the lead in preparing the ground for creating the farm.
Mr. Shaji said with its success, the police club farm had now become eligible for a subsidy of Rs.50,000 from the Agriculture Department. The farm was supported by the Agriculture Department under its Vegetable Development Programme.
Apart from ladies fingers, the crops coming up there comprise cabbages, green chillies, tomatoes, brinjals, Indian broad beans (avara), and bananas.
Mr. Nizar said the success of the vegetable project inside the police club complex had triggered an interest in farming among the police corps.
Many police officers now have a small vegetable farm of their own at their houses.
