The Onattukara region in Alappuzha district is set to become the second hub of tuber crop cultivation in the State after Edavaka in Wayanad.
The Kerala State Biodiversity Board has taken up a project to preserve and enhance the diversity of tuber crops in the region and create a gene bank.
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Farmers in Thazhakara, Mannar, Chennithala, Mavelikara, Thekkekara, and Chettikulangara grama panchayats, and Mavelikara municipality will be involved in the participatory project.
The KSBB has identified 13 species of tuber crops including two varieties of Greater Yam (Kaachil), eight varieties of Colocasia (chembu) and three other tuber species cultivated by farmers in Onattukara.
KSBB member secretary K.P. Laladhas said a list of 29 tubers that could be introduced in the Onattukara region had been prepared.
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“The farmers will be encouraged to plant these species also.” The KSBB has collected the seeds from other parts of the State.
The panchayat- level Biodiversity Management Committees will identify the farmers for the project and provide training.
It was in 2013 that the KSBB selected Edavaka grama panchayat in Wayanad for the first phase of the project to conserve the diversity of tuber crops.
As many as 60 varieties of tubers recorded in the Panchayat Biodiversity Register are cultivated in public land, schools and homestead farms in Edavaka. The success of the pilot project at Edavaka has encouraged the Kerala State Biodiversity Board to replicate the model in the Onattukara region.
“A resilient crop, tubers can withstand extreme climatic conditions and offer a rich source of affordable, tasty and nutritious food,” said Dr. Laladhas.
“Over the years, many of the tubers have dropped off the common man’s menu for various reasons and very few farmers today cultivate them. By encouraging people to include tubers in their menu, the project also seeks to revive local dietary and health traditions.”
The establishment of a gene bank for tubers is a major objective of the project. Dr. Laladhas said the project would be extended to more districts in the coming years.