With the success of brinjal cultivation under the Indo-Israel project by the Horticulture Department in Dindigul, the farmers in the region are showing interest in the scheme.
S Thangavel, a farmer from the region said he was impressed with the cultivation method used in the farm when he visited it recently. “I will take it once the trial is completed,” he said.
K Srinivasan, the project officer said Reddiarchathiram in Dindigul is the only place in Tamil Nadu that has been selected as the centre of excellence for vegetables under the project. Also, nine places in nine states have been selected for the same purpose.
Speaking about the project, he said by open cultivation method, the seeds of the Indo-American brinjal in 45 cents of land were cultivated in Reddiarchathiram.
He also said techniques like mulching and minimize evaporation, powered by Israel were implemented in the project for a cost of Rs 10.8 crore.
Ten grams of seeds is priced at Rs 300. According to him, 100 gms would suffice an acre and its yield is expected to be not less than 25 tonnes.
The presence of pesticide residue is less in vegetables as they are sprayed once in 15 days. However, in farmers’ conventional method, they are sprayed once a week.
To prevent wastage and monitor seedlings, a few special techniques like pro tray seedling production will be used.
The brinjals cultivated in this method would weigh between 100gms and 150gms. Srinivasan said in the next phase, they have planned to implement cultivation of organic crops in a section of the test area under the protected net house cultivation method. Polyhouse cultivation will also be started soon, he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India /Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / July 16th, 2015
85-year-old Anbu Sundaranandi Swamigal from Tirupur was one of the 165 students who passed the three B F Tech course offered by TNAU through distance learning. (TOI photo by J Jackson)
Coimbatore :
Sporting just a sandal-coloured veshti and a green shawl thrown over the shoulder, a man with a long and thick grey beard and upper torso bared could not be missed in the queue of students waiting to collect their bachelors’ degree in farm technology. The minute he walked out of the auditorium of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) on Wednesday morning many professors and students, who addressed him as ‘swami’, walked up to the man to congratulate him.
85-year-old Anbu Sundaranandi Swamigal, from Jaisakthi Viraja Gurukulam in Vinayagar Valagam in Tirupur, was one of the 165 students who passed the three-year BFTech course offered by TNAU through distance learning. His presence made many curious onlookers wondering what a man resembling and sounding like a ‘godman’ was doing among the new graduates.
“Well I am someone who decided to dedicate the later part of my life to service and yes I do yoga and am a siddha and naturopathy medical practitioner,” he said. “But my main focus was on serving the people by saving the profession of farming and bringing about organic farming,” he said. “I believe in worshipping the five elements — earth, air, water, wind and fire. But mother earth has been spoilt by all these chemical fertilisers.”
The octogenarian, who worked as a textile technician for 38 years, began learning more about organic farming by meeting and following Indian organic farming scientist G Nammalvar since 1995. “I slowly began going on tours to many districts like Thiruvannamalai and Dindigul and would advise farmers to opt for organic farming,” he said.
Swamigal says he joined the course to obtain scientific knowledge about organic farming and how better they can use natural resources. “This way when I go on tours across the state and country to meet farmers, I can scientifically explain the procedures, their positives and their negatives,” he said.
Swamigal also started offering free consultancy service every Sunday since last month. “It is open to farmers or people who want to get into organic farming and want advice on how to go about it. I also invite buyers so they can meet farmers and procure goods directly,” he said. “I personally have now put papaya in my 1.5 acre land.”
Like Sundaranandi Swamigal, there were many farmers or people who want to get into farming consultancy who decided to get into a classroom at the university for two days every month for three years. “While 35 per cent to 40 per cent of our class consisted of pure farmers who decided to take the course to scientifically understand and improve what they were doing, 50 per cent came from varied professions such as marketing, tax officials and auditors and the remaining 10 per cent came from allied professions within agriculture like seed marketing,” says G Vivek, 38, a graduate.
Vivek, who holds a diploma in electrical and electronic engineering, a master’s degree in social work, and more than 10 years work experience in marketing, decided to take this course for his love of farming and dream of making farming as lucrative as medicine or engineering. “I was always interested in farming. I dreamt of creating collective or integrated farming, so when any crop was produced in large-scale, selling, marketing and even labour sharing would be easier,” he said.
“I, however, knew that I had to study more about it, make more contacts among experts and researchers in the field. I also wanted this degree to have scientific knowledge and backing of the suggestions I give farmers so that they trust me,” he says. “It also helps when we approach banks for loans and government officials for schemes and subsidies,” he adds.
A few students had simply taken the course for the love of knowledge like retired income tax department official Dr K Singharavelu who has obtained eight degrees and a doctorate so far.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Pratiksha RamKumar, TNN / July 04th, 2015
Free:A. Anthony Raj has been distributing tree saplings to residents’ welfare organisations.— Photo: K. Pichumani
For A. Anthonyraj, happiness is keeping the city green.
Greening the city by planting trees is being taken up by several residents’ associations and activists, but securing saplings for the purpose comes at a cost.
Mr. Anthonyraj, a horticulturist and landscaper by profession, has been distributing tree saplings to residents’ welfare organisations and environmental activists for more than a year. He has given away more than 1,000 saplings free of cost to those volunteering to keep their localities or multi-storeyed apartments green.
He owns a horticulture farm at Thiruporur and said the inspiration was staring at him in the face: a concrete jungle.
“I decided to provide free saplings looking at the city losing its greenery gradually. I have also apportioned a small part of my profits for this venture.”
Mr. Anthonyraj has done landscaping projects in Qatar and Singapore and holds in high regard the rigorous procedure involved in cutting avenue trees even for development purposes in those nations.
He is concerned about the lack of adequate protection for avenue trees in India.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R.Srikanth / Chennai – July 04th, 2015
A unique pest-trapping equipment was the main attraction at the ongoing United Agri Tech, 2015 held at Tamukkam grounds in Madurai. The stall displaying the equipment stands out among hundreds of stalls that showcased various types of fertilisers, pesticides, seeds and technology for the benefit of the farming community.
At the stall of Barrix Agro Sciences, a specially designed pest trap that uses pheromones, a chemical substance produced by insects, became the focal point at the agriculture exhibition. It can be used to kill fruit flies (Tephrididae) in orchards and gardens. In this method, the smell of female flies is kept inside the trap to attract male flies. Once the flies are inside, they are killed with pheromones. The trap boxes are sold with various pheromones meant for different fly species. The pheromones should be changed every 15 days. These traps will not kill agriculture friendly insects, like honey bees or spiders, since the pheromones used in the traps will not attract them.
For other fly species that could not be trapped with the boxes, sticky sheets are used. When suspended in gardens, flies get attracted and stuck on the paste. The adhesive sheets last for 15 days.
Field officer of the company, D Jayakumar, said they have received an overwhelming response from the visitors. “We have sold out lot of trap boxes and adhesive sheets on the first day. We have been receiving many enquiries from farmers”, he said.
Tirunelveli deputy director of horticulture, B David Raja Beulah, who designed solar traps for pests, said the pheromones traps are effective. “These traps will come in handy for certain pests that can not be handled with pesticides. Specific pheromones should be used to trap male flies. If the male flies are killed, female flies can not reproduce, and pest attack on crops is prevented,” said he David. The exhibition that commenced on June 25 will be held till 28.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / June 28th, 2015
Selfless work done by a group Dalits six decades ago has not only brought them laurels now but also made them proud land owners.
From now on, they need not depend on landlords for their survival.
Ten Dalit field workers, including three women who are 85 years and above, have become landowners, thanks to support offered to these workers who stood along with T.S. Soundaram, founder, Gandhigram Trust, when she floated the trust at Gandhigram village to extend health care to the poor and the downtrodden.
Breaking all barriers and hurdles, Gandhigram Trust had fulfilled the dream of the founder and offered 65 cents of agriculture land each to 10 Dalits living at Thoppampatti village since the 1950s as per the direction of the founder.
“Our founder had promised to offer land for the uplift of Dalits. Now, we have fulfilled her wish by offering land owned by the trust to them,” said K. Shiva Kumar, secretary of the trust.
Ms. Soundaram had identified people from villages around Chinnalapatti to develop an area for their activities. The selected beneficiaries were settled in Thoppampatti with a promise of land for their survival.
“We joined work for wages of 50 paise a day for women and 75 paise for men to cut firewood and level the field,” said beneficiary Y. Chinnappan (85), who was picked from Panjampatti in the 1950s.
“My husband Raju joined the work force. He died and my only son too died in an accident. Now, my grandson is taking care of me,” said another beneficiary R. Azhagammal (89).
Octogenarian P. Mariappan said he was picked from Kalikkampatti. “We are honoured now,” he said.
The land was registered in the name of the beneficiaries and also their legal heirs to enable even the next generation to enjoy it.
No sale
“Even though it is patta land, the beneficiaries cannot sell it,” said Mr. Shiva Kumar. Managing Trustee M.R. Rajagopal handed over the pattas to the beneficiaries.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Staff Reporter / Dindigul – July 01st, 2015
Ophthalmologist Dr.G. Natchiar and educationist Premalatha Panneerselvam are less known for their green house revolution.
Some films inspire us to go the distance. The Malayalam movie How Old Are Youand it’s Tamil remake 36 Vayadhinile were liked by people not only because they were comeback films of Manju Warrier and Jyothika but also because it helped people to change the way they look at things. In the film, the protagonist finds her niche and respect in her family and society after she successfully meets a challenging order of supplying organic vegetables to a marriage party. When celebrities on or off screen boost an idea, they inspire people and often set off a transformation.
DAUGHTER OF THE SOIL: Dr.G. Natchiar, Director Emeritus, Aravind Eye Hospital at Aurofarm. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu
But for Dr.G.Natchiar, Director Emeritus at Aravind Eye Care Systems and Mrs.Premalatha Panneerselvam, the founder of Mahatma group of schools in Madurai, taking up farming was a dream long nurtured and they would certainly love more people to know and see their lush biodynamic farms – a result of sheer passion and labour of years. They are Madurai’s stars for whom life has come full circle because both belong to agricultural families.
“I am back to my roots, you will find me less in the hospital now,” laughs Dr.Natchiar, who after many debates with the family earmarked two acres for organic gardening within the Aurolab campus, a state-of-the-art products manufacturing facility of AECS at Veerapanchan. The year was 2005.
“I had no scientific training but followed my instincts and interest and started planting a variety of trees,” she says. Today, her family, staff, friends and visitors to Aurolab marvel at her “blossoming property” spread over 70 acres now and buzzing with butterflies and birds.
As we walk around the coconut, banana and mango orchards, the aroma garden with every type of jasmine, the organic garden of champa in 30 different colours and endless fields of vegetables, fruits and grains, Dr.Natchiar shares how creating, running and maintaining a farm is a lifestyle.
Unless she is travelling, Dr.Natchiar, is at the Aurofarm everyday at 8.30 a.m. to oversee the requirements of her plants – fondly she calls them babies – and the dozen permanent farmers whom she has hired and the other daily wagers who come depending on the load of work. “After taking a round, I assign them the day’s task,” she says with pride reflecting her intense love for what she enjoys doing the most — gardening and farming.
She zips around on her battery-operated two-wheeler and inspects every field personally. “Everything produced here is 100 per cent organic and the yield caters to about 40 per cent requirement of our hospital and staff canteens,” she informs, and asserts, “I am into this not for selling the produce and making money. I want more people to learn about growing strategies and eat organic.”
It was only after attending series of workshops, interacting with local farmers and researching on eco-friendly farming techniques that Dr.Natchiar could initiate a system that is regenerative to the soil, flora and fauna that are part of the farm ecosystem and the benefactors of the food grown here. “I have learnt from mistakes and now I understand every plant’s requirements and how and why business models should not be compared to farming models,” she says of organic farming still not becoming a financially viable option.
For Dr.Natchiar it is purely a heart warming relationship between her and nature. Farming makes my heart sing and I am focussing all my energy on it now, she says. “All you need is planning and hard work,” she says.
DAUGHTER OF THE SOIL: Premalatha Panneerselvam, Secreatary and Correspondent, Mahatma Group of Schools./ Photo: R. Ashok / The Hindu
Likewise, no matter howsoever much tired she is after the day’s or week’s work, Premalatha Panneerselvam finds farming cool and spends all her evenings and Sundays in her organic farm adjoining her school’s residential campus at Alagar Koil. “I find my inner peace here, she says, taking me to her favourite spot under a banyan tree, one of the seven trees that stood tall among the shrubs and bushes on the 50-odd acres she bought a quarter Century ago in Ayathampatti village.
We had to accommodate our growing number of students and planned a residential school for them here at the foothills. The land was strewn with rocks, stones and pebbles tand we had to clear the area to raise our buildings. About 15 acres was set aside for farming and for the past eight years Premalatha has been growing a variety of plants using only organic practices. The monthly yield of fruits and vegetables from the farm not only meets the demand of all the school canteens but also saves her an expense of nearly Rs.One lakh every month. Some produce is also in excess which we sell at a discount to our teachers and other staff or in the market at a nominal rate,” she says.
There is an indescribable happiness in seeing your plants grow and flower. To feel the texture of the fruits and vegetables is a different kind of joy, says Premalatha as we walk through her multiple gardens looking at the bounty. Rows of leafy plants growing in orderly abundance reveal the wealth that can only be measured by physical labour of clearing, planting and harvesting and the physical growth of the fauna. Her zero-budget farming with home-grown vermicomposting and bio-pesticides is seductive.
Premalatha has been regularly reading about and practicing G.Nammazhvar’s agro-techniques. “With professionals like us having the wisdom and knowledge base, passion is good enough to turn around such zero-budget farming,” she says. She also understands farming, leave alone organic, many not be an easy choice for many. But hopes and advocates that more people get motivated and start doing it within their home compounds, in their small balconies or terraces, kitchen gardens or backyards, sufficient for their family’s needs.
Both Dr.Natchiar and Premalatha share a vision for a sustainable food system. That is, the food we eat should be fresh, nutritious and taste delicious and should be grown in harmony with nature. It is this thinking that makes them the true ‘FarmHers’ belonging to a period when organic farming was hardly considered an option and even less talked about.
Farm facts:
“I proved myself as an ophthalmologist but never felt proud as one. But now at my Aurofarm I feel very proud each time my plants produce something. I can show off as a farmer now.” Dr.G.Natchiar
At Aurofarm you will find over 10,000 trees including 450 mango trees, 300 coconut trees, tamarind, coriander, curry leaves, timber and almond trees; Vegetables such as lady’s finger, brinjal, cluster beans, bitter, bottle and snake gourd, pumpkin, spinach; Fruits such as black and goose berries, sapota, banana; Flowers including jasmine, manoranjitam, mullai, parijatam, bougainvillea, oleander; Paddy fields that yield 200 bags of rice every year. The farm is fenced by mehndi trees about 20 acres are fed by the Dewatts system that is 51,000 litres of waste water from the kitchen, staff quarters and washrooms are treated for use in the fields, water from the Aurolab is also recycled besides the usage of ground water. Another highlight at the Aurofarm is the 20 feet deep rain water fed quarry used for fish breeding.
“If I had not started a school, I would have surely done farming. I want to turn green ideas into meaningful action for the larger benefit of all”. Premalatha Panneerselvam.
The Mahatma-Azhagar campus farm is fenced with teak wood trees all around and has over 200 mango trees, 400 coconut trees besides several other flowering and locally grown trees, banana, papaya, gooseberry, jackfruit, sapota, custard apple, lemon and neem trees. Spinach, tomatoes, brinjal, carrot, drumstick, cluster beans, lady’s finger, groundnut, guava, custard apple are grown in abundance. Seed dispersal, multiple-cropping, drip irrigation practiced at the farm that also boasts of a small poultry and six milching cows. Apart from the two-dozen farmers working here, ten labourers are exclusively deployed to clear the land of stones regularly. Given the location of the site at the foothills, every spell of rain leads to soil erosion.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Soma Basu / Madurai – June 24th, 2015
A biography of Dr Sanjaya Rajaram, who developed 58% of all wheat varieties that exist now, was released in Chennai on Sunday.
The book, “Mr Golden Grain, the Life and Work of the Maharaja of Wheat,” traces the humble beginning of Rajaram and his success.
The book highlights Rajaram’s sheer grit and determination that took him from a humble wheat researcher to a global leader in research arena.
The book, written by agriculture communications specialist G Venkataramani, was released at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation. M S Swaminathan, founder of MSSRF, released the book and applauded it for being one of the best biographies on scientists.
“Dr Rajaram has shown single-minded devotion and desire not only for knowledge but to work towards public good, bringing him awards cutting across national boundaries,” he said.
“The book not only delves on not only on the humanistic aspects of the person but also on the scientific strength of Dr Rajaram,” he added.
Rajaram — who is the recipient of the 2014 World Food Prize for his scientific research that lead to an increase in wheat production by more than the 200 million tonne — expressed his concern over the growing population and the need to strengthen a holistic approach to agriculture especially related to soils and seeds.
“Wheat is a great programme on paper. However, the quality of seeds is a great concern where different varieties are being mixed and sold. Although it is distributed by the public sector, if farmers don’t get good seed, they won’t get good crops. We can look at public-private or public – NGO supported models for better seeds,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Karthikeyan Hemalatha, TNN / June 21st, 2015
A jamun tree more than 250 years old and a 200-year-old fig tree have been identified in Salem district. They were identified during a research study conducted by retired IFS officer V Sundararaju recently. After retiring from the service, he took on the post of president, Society for Conservation of Nature (SOFCON), Trichy.
According to him, he identified the age of the trees based on the aesthetic, botanical, horticultural, ecological, social, cultural and historical values. “The main criteria for considering a tree as heritage tree are its size, form, shape, age, colour and rarity,” said Sundararaju.
The largest fig tree is found on the western foothills of Yercaud on the river bank of Sarabanga in Denishpet forest range of Salem district. “Its girth is measured at 7.94m and is 28m in height. The wood is not durable, but is said to last well under water and good for well frames. The figs are edible but are usually found with insects,” he said.
The team of researchers also found a jamun tree with a girth of 8.52m and a height of 22m. They found the tree in Kadukkamarathur, a tribal village of Yercaud hills. The researchers calculated its age to be more than 250 years. “There are several jamun trees in Yercaud hills but this tree is the largest of them all. Fortunately, it has managed to escape the axe of wood choppers,” he said.
Sundararaju said that both trees could be classified as heritage trees. These kinds of trees are generally large individual trees with unique value which is considered irreplaceable. These trees take decades and centuries to mature.
“We have many interesting trees across the state. But, no systematic study has been undertaken to identify and prepare a catalogue of these giant trees. Besides the study, awareness programmes must be conducted for villagers, school and college students. Committees must be formed to protect these sacred heritage trees,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by V. Senthil Kumaran, TNN / June 19th, 2015
She has pored over curvilinear walled houses in Upper Volta; shell-decorated chieftain’s houses in the villages of Fijian Islands; dome-shaped huts with stilt legs in Samoa Islands, Polynesia; huts with pitched roofs and a front porch in fortified Maori villages (New Zealand); castle-style farmhouses in the Taiaakon region (Dahomey); the large togunas (public buildings) supported by carved pillars in Mali; the diverse structures of Morocco; dwellings in British Columbia with free-standing totem poles in front of them; the log huts of Lapps in Scandinavia, and the huts of Naga Angamis.
There is more: the cusped roof structures with horns as insignia of rank in interior Assam; huts with saddleback roofs in New Guinea; dwellings with geometrically decorated walls in Mangbettu (Zaire); temporary shelters made from branches and pandanus leaves in Solomon Islands, Melanesia; keel-shaped tents of Ethiopian nomads; huts covered by mats and bent branches in eastern Madagascar, aboriginal cave dwellings in Australia…
And yes, she has been to Timbuktu!
Well, for Chennai-based Rohini Shanker, the study of primitive architecture around the globe has been a relentless, fascinating and satisfying three-decade odyssey. The charm never seems to wear off.
It sparked off when she first set foot in interior Alaska. Conical tents greeted her. “It was a shock. I had seen the same kind of structures in Mongolia on the other side of the globe,” reminisces the architect and designer. For Rohini, this exploration grew as a casual offshoot of her frequent travels abroad to attend conferences. She began to take a day or two to travel beyond the tourist spots. “It’s beautiful that tribal people see the entire land as their abode, their architecture. They are gentle and sociable, there is nothing aggressive about them. If they are afraid of you, they will keep away from you,” shares Rohini.
Giving it a skip
Strange as it seems, primitive architecture is a realm that has been overlooked by everyone — archaeologists, historians, and even art enthusiasts. Most architecture pundits tend to give primitive architecture short shrift, considering it to be a temporary solution to an existential challenge, and a dead end that really didn’t evolve into much. But that may not be the case, as pointed out by the architectural theorist Marc-Antoine Laugier.
Recall that as early as in 1755, Laugier had elucidated in his seminal but overlooked essay, Essay on Architecture, that the aesthetics and architecture of ancient Greek temples were drawn from the plan of the primitive hut, which is considered the oldest of habitations built by man. As he pointed out, the basic Doric style of architecture was inspired by the hut’s format in which a horizontal beam was supported by vertical tree trunks embedded into the ground, with a sloping roof to channel rainwater into the ground.
Considering the range of architectural features that come alive in the ancient primitive dwellings that Rohini Shanker has documented, it would be interesting if someone were to study them in depth.
While some of the features are quite apparent, others don’t hit the eye straightaway, and some other similarities are downright puzzling.
For instance, the pagodas of Buddhist temples bear something in common with the saddlebacked roofs in New Guinea, though the geographical and cultural distance between the sites dissuade the speculation. Likewise, the dome-shaped huts of the Polynesian islands show a definite resemblance to the domes of Islamic architecture. Nevertheless, leaving aside the road taken by primitive architecture, some of these structures are marvels by themselves.
Consider the case of the primitive tribes who live in Andaman Islands. “With just poles and leaves they build such simple and sturdy structures that bear the brunt of the sun, wind and of course, the islands’ spectacular and notorious monsoons. They manage this miracle because the structure is built in a way that allows the wind to blow through it rather than blow on it. I saw similar structures in Congo, but the foliage used for the roofing was different,” recalls Rohini.
Of course, primitive architecture cannot be viewed in isolation. Like other aspects of art and culture, it reflects a certain attitude towards life. Chiefly, a reverent and non-disruptive attitude towards nature. This is something that gets confirmed over and over again with any and every primitive dwelling that you consider.
Let live
Rohini points out to the aboriginal settlements in Uluru in Australia, which is an annual visit that she hasn’t missed for the last 30 years. “Without gadgets they know exactly where to find food and water, the raw materials to build their shelter, the mineral-rock pigments to make their dot-paintings, and the reeds to make their musical instruments (like didgeridoo). Their culture and attitude towards our planet is wonderful. Though this land is so tough to live in, they leave no footprint of themselves there. Not for building their homes, not for meeting their other needs,” remarks Rohini.
This is one of the reasons she reckons that we shouldn’t rush to ‘civilise’ the tribes who live in their own ‘archaic’ ways. “They continue to lead a happy life, without our lifestyle diseases. We shouldn’t enforce their culture, unless they ask for it,” is Rohini’s explanation.
The needs of primitive people by way of habitable structures were limited — a hut for home, a shrine for worship, a granary for storage, a stockade for defence, a cairn/mound as a grave marker of the shaman, chieftain and priest. But within the limitations of their needs, as also the limitations of the resources and the technology they have at hand, primitive architecture holds some elegant and fundamental solutions for architectural challenges, which is something that modern architects might ponder upon.
“I once asked a little child to draw houses, and I was amazed to see her come back with just rectangles. The child has seen nothing but our cuboidal blocks, towers and tenements. Well, that is the state of our architecture today, with most urban buildings tending to be just blocks. In this context, nobody realises just how exciting, interesting and rewarding studying primitive architecture can be,” remarks the architect.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Sunday Herald / by Hema Vijay, DHNS / June 14th, 2015
In an effort to encourage self-help groups (SHG) to organize themselves to facilitate business, district collector Archana Patnaik visited Thenchittur village near Pollachi last week and inspected the betel leaf fields cultivated by a 21-member SHG. She interacted with the group members, talking to them about the cultivation process.
Their efforts yield 6,000kg of betel leaves each month. Keeping environmental concerns in mind, they use organic manure. To encourage their green initiative, the collector ordered the officials to help them get organic certification, which would allow them to sell their produce at higher prices.
“We would get the certification for organic betel leaves and develop the marketing strategy,” said collector Archana Patnaik.
“We used to pick betel leaves in our village. We decided to form an SHG (Thenchittur betel producers). We leased eight acres from a farmer and availed funds through the Pudhu Vazhvu Thittam, a government scheme that provides funds to self-help-groups to start small businesses, with assistance from World bank. They were given funds worth 77,800 in 2011. Our first yield came after three months and we were able to produce 6000kg monthly after that,” said G Latha, an SHG member.
The women from the SHG were involved in irrigation and plucking of betel leaves. “We planted brinjal, spinach and banana as intercrops, for additional revenue,” she added. They market their produce in Valparai and Palani, selling 1kg for 120. Cost of production including wages works out to 70 per kg.
Collector, Archana Patnaik and District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) project director Tha Murugan visited Thamaraikulam village near Kinathukadavu and inspected the coir rope manufacturing unit. Five SHGs have been engaged in the production of coir ropes. The district administration has planned to provide transport facility for the SHGs to boost business.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / A. Subburaj, TNN / June 15th, 2015
