Aranmula village is once again resonating with rhythmic harvest songs from paddy fields. On Monday, Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar and Works Minister G. Sudhakaran joined hands with farm workers to launch paddy harvest at the Aranmula Puncha after a gap of 15 years.
Local MLA Veena George and other people’s representatives too took part in the harvest festival that marked the success of a people’s movement to protect the paddy fields and wetlands of Aranmula.
Unlawful occupation
Inaugurating the harvest festival at Punnackad on the eastern end of the Aranmula puncha on Monday, Mr. Sunil Kumar said that the large extent of land at Aranmula under unlawful occupation of a private company, in gross violation of the Land Sealing Act, would be declared excess land soon through legal proceedings. It would be distributed among the landless poor families.
Mr. Sunil Kumar said the harvest festival launched in about 90 hectares of Aranmula Puncha had busted the propaganda by a few that the puncha lands laid fallow for over a decade were earmarked for a private airport project.
The Minister also lauded the efforts of the departments of Agriculture and Irrigation for the successful implementation of the government’s Mission Green Aranmula project. He said the Agriculture Department would confer a Good Service Entry on Agriculture Officer J. Sajeev for his role in promoting paddy cultivation.
Aranmula Rice
Mr. Sunil Kumar said the organically produced rice at Aranmula Puncha would be labelled Aranmula Rice and marketed through Oil Palm India Ltd. Aranmula Rice would be sold at a price lower than the market price in Aranmula.
The State’s rice production a year stood at a mere 5.96 lakh tonne against its annual rice requirement of 40 lakh tonne. He said the government would increase the extent of paddy cultivation in the State from the existing 1.92 lakh hectares to 3 lakh hectares in three years.
Mr. Sudhakaran released the logo of Aranmula Rice on the occasion. Kerala State Housing Board Chairman P. Prasad said that many people who were the driving force behind the Aranmula land struggle could not attend the harvest festival as they had to appear in the court on Monday in connection with the petty cases registered against them during the people’s movement.
