After scripting a successful saga in channelising works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to productive sectors, the Wayanad district administration is gearing up to expand the project to more areas.
This time the authorities are planning to plant coffee plants over 10,000 hectares of land by utilising the services of MGNREGS workers.
When the project was launched last year as many as 8,51,600 seedlings of two coffee varieties—Robusta, a traditional coffee variety, and Congensis x Robusta, a hybrid variety— were planted on 2,129 hectares of small-scale farmers’ land ,who owned less than two hectares of land, in 12 grama panchayats free of cost.
Success story
“Inspired by the success we have raised 30 lakh plants of the same varieties this year in various farm nurseries in 23 grama panchayats and planting of the seedlings are under way, C.V. Joy, programme coordinator, MGNREGS Wayanad, told The Hindu .
As many as five grama panchayats have already planted the seedlings and others would complete the work by the middle of October, Mr. Joy said adding that more than 1.5 lakh days of employment could be generated under the project during the year.
As all the works such as preparing nurseries, raising plants in grow bags, transportation, digging pits and planting the seedling would be done by the MGNREGS workers, the farmers are happy, he added.
Major plans
Moreover, the manpower of the MGNREGS would be used to care for the plants for the next three years free of cost, he said. The authorities are planning to raise as much as 1 crore coffee seedlings to plant on 10,000 hectares next year and are expecting to provide nearly 5 lakh days of employment under the scheme.
The authorities are also planning to launch coconut rejuvenation and sericulture projects under the MGNREGS soon.
Wayanad is the only district in the State that has extended the MGNREGS works to horticulture, plantation and farm forestry sectors.
