Story of a national award-winning farmer’s success and travails

Lying wakeful at night is one of the fallouts of five years of farming fish, says Sunil Kumar, 43.

The national award-winning farmer owns scores of netted enclosures along the bank of the expansive backwater lagoon at Thannimoodu in suburban Thiruvananthapuram. Year-round, they abound with pearl spot, a pricey fish widely considered a delicacy. It sells for Rs.500 and above a kg.

The bounty attracts raiders at night. Certain lawlessness exists along Kerala’s maze of inland waterways and lagoons and Thannimoodu is no exception.

Marine patrols are unheard of and farmers like Mr. Kumar are left to fend for themselves. They maintain solitary night vigils to protect their farms from raiding boatmen. Local goons who demand protection money are also a thorny problem.

Mr. Kumar’s quest for self-employment had prompted the matriculate to attempt fish farming in 2010. His first shot at shrimp cultivation failed. But with pearl spot, Mr. Kumar struck gold.

Peak daily sales often touched Rs.15,000. He was able to keep his family of the breadline.

Traditional knowledge

Most of Mr. Kumar’s farming knowledge comes from anglers and traditional fishermen. They helped him devise the porous netted enclosures that allow tidal flushing, but keep natural predators out.

Tortoises, eels, catfish, rat snakes prey on pearl spot fingerlings. Top nets protect the corralled fish from predatory birds.

Mr. Kumar regularly traverses the lagoon with experienced fishermen to net healthy pearl spot pairs for controlled breeding.

“The male burrows into the lagoon bed to make holes for the female to deposit her eggs while she hovers around. They often breed close to the shore,” he says. Adult pearl spots are paired off in hatcheries, which simulate the lagoon environment.

Mr. Sunil is thankful to the Kerala Fisheries Department for its support. However, like other farmers, he faces the issue of land availability. The lease of his three acre farm is set to expire soon and he is scouting for a new place to relocate it.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / G. Anand / Thiruvananthapuram – May 30th, 2016

The Kerala farmers dominated the National Plant Genome Saviour Awards-2013 by winning seven out of fourteen rewards announced by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV & FR)  Authority, Government of India.

The seven farmers involved in conservation of traditional crop varieties were nominated for awards by Kerala Agricultural University (KAU).

K V Kannan ( Kannur), Benny Mathew (Agali, Palakkad), Melethil Beerankutty (Malappuram) and Muhammed Moopan (Malappuram) have been selected for Plant Genome Saviour farmer’s reward  which consists of a purse of `1.5 lakh, a memento and a citation, while K Raman (Cheruvayal, Wayanad), P Krishnan (Palakkad) and K Narendran (Kollam ) will receive Plant Genome Saviour recognition which consists of a purse carrying `1 lakh, a memento and a citation at a function to be held in Delhi shortly.

KAU Vice-Chancellor Dr P Rajendran described the seven awards as a significant acknowledgment for Kerala farming community as well as farm scientists. “Bagging seven out of fourteen awards is very special. The role of KAU in supporting such activists and helping them earn such recognition are often forgotten. I appreciate the efforts of our scientists, especially Dr C R Elsy, Coordinator, KAU IPR cell, Dr M C Narayanankutty, RARS, Pattambi and Dr M R Bindu, ORARS, Kayamkulam, who nominated these farmers,” he said.

The KAU had played a pivotal role in helping the Pokkali Rice farming Community (2011),  Akampadam Padasekhara Samithy (2012) and Ciby Kallungal of Thrissur and N Vasavan of Kannur ( 2012) win the Plant Genome Saviour Awards earlier.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / May 11th, 2016

Aims at creating awareness among people of the need to undertake cultivation in their backyards

The exhibition that got under way at the Ernakulam Town Hall on Monday as part of the 11th Organic Kerala Agricultural Fair has turned out to be a big draw. Hundreds of Kochiites are visiting the exhibition to get a whiff of the movement towards organic farming in the State.

The three-day programme, comprising an exhibition, interaction with experts on organic agriculture and honouring of farmers, was inaugurated on Monday morning at a brief function.

The aim of the annual show was to create awareness among people in the Kochi urban area and its surroundings of the need to undertake their own cultivation of fruits and vegetables in their own land or backyards, said the general secretary of Organic Kerala Charitable Trust M.M. Abbas.

The show and other programmes are being organised jointly by the Charitable Trust, Rajagiri Outreach programme, Kalamassery, and Sacred Heart College, Thevara.

The sections on organically-grown mangoes and tuber crops are particularly attractive as a large array of the fruits and vegetables are on show.

Organically-grown rice, specially the varieties grown in Kerala; safe-to-eat vegetables; derivatives like neera and neera honey tapped from coconut trees and organic inputs are also available at the exhibition. A section of the exhibition is dedicated to effective and practical disposal of waste at the household level.

Mr. Abbas said protection of bio-diversity and healthy food were the two key focus areas of the programme that is into its eleventh year now.

Beyond the exhibition and sale of organically grown produce, the organisers of the programme have conducted a day-long training programme on organic agriculture with the help of Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam and the Palliakkal Service Cooperative Bank, near Paravoor.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – April 12th, 2016