The government is rolling out a programme to promote organic cultivation of pineapple and bring more areas under the crop.
Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar told the Assembly on Monday that a joint investigation would be carried out by the Kerala Agricultural University and the Department of Agriculture to assess the impact of hormone treatment to induce flowering and ripening of the fruit.
Responding to a submission moved by Eldo Abraham, he said the efforts to extend pineapple farming to more areas had run into protests in many areas.
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This, he said, was largely based on apprehension about indiscriminate use of pesticides by farmers and its impact on the environment. Attempts to promote intercropping of pineapple in rubber plantations had also failed to take off for the same reason.
Intervening in the debate, P.C. George said rubber farmers had given up intercropping with pineapple after the trees were found withering away.
Pointing out that pineapple farmers were using the hormonal growth regulator Ethrel and not pesticide, the Minister said the government had decided to carry out a scientific study to dispel the fears.
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Ethrel was widely used by pineapple farmers as a solution to the erratic flowering of the plant. According to the Pineapple Research Station, Vazhakulam, pineapple cultivation had become commercially viable after the introduction of the hormone growth regulator in the early 1980s. This had made it possible for farmers to schedule the flowering of the plant and harvest the crop to synchronise with the season of high demand and price.
The Minister informed the House that 9,007 hectares in the State had come under pineapple cultivation. Efforts were on to extend the cultivation to another 400 hectares next year.
The State Horticulture Mission - Kerala had introduced crop insurance for farmers and secured GI tag for the pineapple cultivated at Vazhakulam, Muvattupuzha, he added.
Moving the submission, Mr.Abraham said efforts to promote pineapple farming in Malabar had run into stiff protest from local people. He said the fluctuation in the market price of the crop had proved to be a dampener for farmers.
Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said the government would take steps to deter attacks on doctors and hospitals. Replying to a submission by M.K. Muneer on the recent attack on a private hospital at Vadakara, she said such incidents, mostly sparked by allegations of negligence by doctors, were on the rise in the State.
At many places, government hospitals and doctors had come under attack on flimsy grounds. In some cases, the attacks were politically instigated. The Minister said the government would take stern action to protect doctors from attacks. However, she added, doctors guilty of negligence would also face action.