The Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council, Keralam, (VFPCK) has embarked on a project to promote cultivation of cauliflower. The vegetable is normally cultivated in areas that have cool climate. A large acreage of land in Kanthallur and Vattavada villages in Idukki district has been brought under cauliflower cultivation.
The VFPCK expects a bumper crop during this harvesting season from December-end to January as the acreage under cauliflower cultivation has been extended to 50 more hectares in Idukki district.
Seeds of the vegetable developed after successive experiments show that cauliflower can be cultivated in areas traditionally believed to be unfavourable for its growth. VFPCK district manager Bindu Chandran told The Hindu on Monday that the seeds supplied to farmers in September had started harvesting in the two villages where it can be cultivated round the year due to favourable sunlight and cool temperature.
She said as part of a State-wide project to extend the cultivation of cabbage and cauliflower to more areas, Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha districts have been included in the scheme. She said cauliflower was harvested successfully last year in Thiruvananthapuram and in select areas of Alappuzha district.
Ms. Bindu said cauliflower cultivation was extended to more areas with the development of tropical seeds at the VFPCK laboratories. Though an analysis of the success of cauliflower cultivation in the plains will take some more time, it has been a success at micro-level farming undertaken in cooperation with farmers.
The VFPCK plans to supply hybrid seeds to farmers in Kanthallur and Vattavada areas at an affordable rate. At present, the farmers depend on businessmen, especially from Tamil Nadu, to get the seeds during the sowing season. The vegetables grown by the farmers are bought at a rate fixed by them and the amount is paid during the harvesting season.
She said while cultivators of cabbage were getting a remunerative price at present, the price of cauliflower was less as compared to the open market price in other States.
