Kumbalangi, the model for sustainable farming

KOCHI: After setting a model for village tourism, the coastal village of    Kumbalangi has embarked on another mission - of sustainable agriculture,  cashing in on the trend of cultivating a variety of inter-crops. With the launch of the Federation of Coconut Farmers, the first  organisation of its kind in the state, the panchayat and the  agri-organisations here have found support from the Coconut Development Board (CDB).
They have come up with the offer of a 50 per cent subsidy on value-added products. “The CDB is already providing 25 per cent subsidy on capital investment for farmers. Recently, the state government has also announced 25 per cent subsidy. With this, a coconut processing entrepreneur can get subsidy of 50 percent,” said CDB chairman T K Jose.
The CDB is promoting cultivation of high-yielding dwarf coconut trees. The  reason for encouraging dwarf trees is nothing but the lack of labourers to  pluck the nuts. High yield is another reason. The initiative provides for collectively harvesting of nuts, which will be processed by the units.
“The Coconut Farmers’ Federation is a project of the Coconut Development Board. The federation at Kumbalangi comprises seven units of farmers. Each farmer has at least 10 coconut trees. All units are affiliated to the CDB, thereby ensuring maximum support and financial and technical assistance for better production,” said Federation conveners M P Sivadathan said.
He claimed that Kumbalangi was the first panchayat to register such a federation of farmers.
However, what makes the project unique is the inter-crop being cultivated in the coconut farm. Ginger and turmeric, traditionally hill produces, are the inter-crop being cultivated in Kumbalangi,  a coastal village.
“The Board want to promote inter-crop and mixed crop thereby ensuring a sustainable development. Experiments on cultivation of turmeric had proven to be success in coastal areas earlier,” Jose added.
Setting another model, the Kumbalangi Panchayat had launched another project under which plantains are cultivated as inter-crop on pokkali paddy fields. Plantains will be planted along the borders (varambu) of the paddy field.    This was launched by Union Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies K V Thomas on Saturday.