Kanjikuzhy achieves a coup in veg production

ALAPPUZHA: The Kanjikuzhy village in the district, which has infertile soil, has achieved a revolution in organic vegetable production and won national recognition for its feat. The seeds of the vegetable revolution  sown in 1995 have brought in  astonishing results and the farmers  harvested  about 40,000 tonnes of vegetables last year. It has become the first vegetable-sufficient panchayat and  and all 8,600 families in Kanjikuzhy  grow their own vegetables.    

The villagers started their ambitious scheme even before the People's Planning was introduced in Kerala. For this, the local  administration  set up ward-based 'Mazhamara' (an artificial habitat to grow vegetable saplings). Every family was given the saplings free of cost.

The panchayat turned the infertile  sand  fertile through  long-term efforts. At present, beans, lady's finger, cabbage, green chilli, bitter gourd, snake gourd, cucumber, cauliflower, brinjal and cheera (red spinach) are grown abundantly in the  soil.

Agricultural colleges and institutions across the country and foreign researchers have made Kanjikuzhy's transition to organic farming a subject of study.   Mr. M.G. Raju, president of the panchayat, said  that when they started the experiment in 1995, none knew  what was organic farming.  The residents turned the soil suitable for farming  by sprinkling water on the periphery of the soil twice  a day.   "For the last 24 years, we have been practising the same method and we sell the surplus produce through Panchayat Development Society (PDS)" he said.    

They introduced  a slew of schemes and policies for  proper irrigation and composing needed  to grow vegetables. The panchayat administration made available organic compost at subsidised rates to  60 residents.  They started growing vegetables on their rooftops and house premises. Now organic farming has become the main work of ward-based self-help groups as well.     Ravikumar, a local resident, pointed out that every ward has at least 10 large-scale farmers who have received the full support of the panchayat, cooperative banks and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme.  Most of the produce is being sold in the  Kochi market, he added.