Chenkal stall a huge draw at Jalasangamam

Chenkal rice, honey, coconut oil, green gram for sale

Stroll into Chenkal grama panchayat’s small pavilion at the Tagore Theatre to experience first-hand the journey undertaken by a region to prosper from its agrarian roots.

The Kudumbasree stall marketing farm produce from the Chenkal grama panchayat in Parassala is one of the big draws at the Haritha Keralam Mission-organised Jalasangamam expo that began on Wednesday.

Chenkal rice, honey, coconut oil, pickles, green gram, and even locally made Unniyappams are neatly arranged under a banner that announces ‘Chenkal Tharishurahitha Gramam’ (Chenkal, fallow land-free village). “Green gram is being cultivated in an organised manner after a long time in Chenkal. In recent years, the cultivation had been reduced to a smaller area,” says Mary Pushpam, Kudumbasree community development society, Kodankara.

Kodankara in Chenkal is known for its honey, she explains, pointing to the rows of bottles sporting the brand name ‘Lavanya’. Vegetable cultivation is also carried out extensively, panchayat secretary Chandralal C.V. said. For example, Vlathankara, one of the localities, is known for its amaranthus, popularly known as the ‘Vlathankara cheera’.

Pond cleaning

The photographs covering the cloth walls of the pavilion provide a wider perspective of what the panchayat has achieved in recent years. For example, a people’s movement in the panchayat had succeeded in cleaning up the 24-acre Valiyakulam pond.

“The success of the farming initiatives in Chenkal is also a success story of convergence,” says Mr. Chandralal. “The panchayat provides the necessary support to the activities coordinated by various agencies, including the Agriculture Department and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the Kudumbasree,” he said.