Organic faming of indigenous rice varieties in areas left barren by farmers will be encouraged, Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan has said.
Barren land should be utilised for organic farming by involving panchayats and Pada Sekhara Samitis (rice-farming groups) to attain self-sufficiency in the production of clean and hygienic food, he said. The Minister was addressing a function to inaugurate the State Planning Board-funded advanced rice breeding-cum-seed production programme hosted jointly by the College of Agriculture, Padanakkad; Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA); and Uduma grama panchayat at Mangad on Saturday.
The Minister lauded the initiative taken by the Uduma grama panchayat to cultivate in land left barren by traditional farmers apparently owing to adverse socio-economic realities.
Earlier, the Minister visited the paddy fields at Mangad to learn about the experiences of the farming community. He also inaugurated an integrated farmers’ training programme to protect paddy right from the sowing to harvesting stages.
Uduma MLA K. Kunhiraman, who is also a known farmer in the region, presided over the function.
