Kerala ill-equipped to store pesticide-free winter vegetables

They are going directly to Tamil Nadu markets

: While the State is concerned over the high pesticide residue in vegetables arriving from other States, a major portion of the vegetables grown in Vattavada and Kanthallur, known for least pesticide use, is going directly to the Tamil Nadu markets.

The cool season vegetables are set to arrive in a week’s time and the State is ill-equipped to procure and store them though a facility was opened at Munnar.

Certified

According to P.T. Mohandas, president of the Kanthallur Cool Season Vegetable Marketing Farmers Society, an organisartion of farmers supplying vegetables to Horticorp, nearly 70 per cent of the total vegetable production goes to Tamil Nadu.

He said the Kerala Agricultural University had issued them a certificate that cabbage, carrot. potato, beetroot and beans from Kanthallur were free of pesticide residue as “farmers follow traditional method since the land is highly fertile..” ``However, timely procurement by agencies such as Horticorp and persuading farmers to sell produce to the Horticorp are needed if all the produce has to reach directly to the,markets in Kerala,.”' He said.

It was only a few years ago that the State intervened to procure vegetables from the two villages and the farmers had been traditionally selling produce to the merchants from Tamil Nadu as the land was close to that State.

He said farmers sell produce at a lower price when there is a flood of items during the peak season and there is no agency to ensure timely procurement. He said there was no demand for butter beans and garlic, a major item under cultivation, in Kerala.

Mr. Mohandas said that if the total area under grandis cultivation in Vattavada and Kanthallur was brought under vegetable cultivation, the entire demand for the cool season vegetables in Kerala could be met.

At present Kanthallur has 711 hectares of land consisting of 1,414 farmers under the society. Over a 1,000 ha. could be brought under vegetable cultivation if the grandis trees were removed, he said.

According to special agriculture officer Shaji Manakkattu, there was an increase in areas of vegetable cultivation in Vattavada and a major portion of the produce goes directly to Tamil Nadu.

The main factor is the traditional link of the farmers with merchants of Tamil Nadu, where there is a big market for vegetables. He said except potato, there was no technological support to store large quantities of other vegetables such as tomato and carrot. When there is a flood of vegetables, the markets in Tamil Nadu are active to receive it in any quantity — a reason why vegetables from Vattavada and Kanthallur either do not reach the Kerala market or arrive after reaching Tamil Nadu.