The government is planning to revive farming in land belonging to R Block of Kuttanad, stretching 1,450 acres. It is part of a government strategy to make use of fertile land left idle due to various reasons.
The Agriculture Department is exploring the possibility of getting necessary financial support to the area through a special package. As part of the initiatives to give a multi-cornered thrust to farming, the government is keen to declare several areas as special agri zones.
R Block, where the government owns 200 acres, could be listed among such special zones and funds could be set apart in the budget for taking up projects in the zone.
A meeting of officials of the Agriculture, Revenue, Fisheries, and Electricity departments will be convened in Thiruvananthapuram soon to discuss the matter, Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar, who visited the area on Tuesday, said.
One of the focus areas of the farm revival package will be organic form of agriculture. Farming in the entire area is envisaged to conform to good agricultural practices and the produce can be brought under the organic tag.
Development of farm tourism is another important proposal in connection with the farm revival scheme. It will take more than half-an-hour cruise from Alappuzha to reach the area. Tour packages can be evolved to explore the project.
Extension of electric connection to the required spots in the area is another challenge faced by the authorities. Problems of power connectivity to a land mass isolated by large water bodies are aplenty. The government is examining the possibility of making use of solar power.
Major tasks
Pumping out water during during floods is one of the important jobs to be executed in the area. Electric pumps and pumping stations got damaged in the floods a decade ago. The government bid to award contract for pumping last year failed to succeed. Efforts are on to re-tender the work.
Farming started in R block six decades ago with Dutch help. Apart from paddy, plantains, cocoa, coconut, and pepper were among the crops cultivated there.
