The Kerala Agriculture Department is contemplating the installation of modern mini rice mills to process paddy harvested from upland fields in Kanjikuzhy and nearby areas.
Kerala Agriculture Minister P. Prasad said during the harvest of Rakthashali, Jaya and Basmati rice varieties grown on an experimental basis in Kanjikuzhy grama panchayat that steps will be taken to boost upland rice cultivation in the region.
Sreekanth, a dental doctor, cultivated the rice varieties on 4.5 acres of Kundelattu paddy polder.
"The cultivation of various rice varieties has proven to be a success." The Agriculture Department will take initiatives to expand paddy cultivation in the region's upland fields. To address the difficulty of harvesting paddy, the department would investigate establishing contemporary mini rice mills," Mr. Prasad said.
Organic vegetable farming is well-known in Kanjikuzhy.
According to grama panchayat officials, several farmers in the region are now planning for commercial rice cultivation.
Rakthashali with red husk and grain is the least economically viable of the three varieties grown at Kundelattu, compared to several high yielding rice varieties. But the nearly-extinct variety of rice with high medicinal value has properties to cure many ailments. Dr. Sreekanth bought the Rakthashali seeds from Narayanan, a farmer and Basmati seeds from an online marketplace.
Geetha Karthikeyan, president of the Kanjikuzhy Grama Panchayat, presided. M. Santhosh Kumar, vice president of the Gram Panchayat, agriculture officer Janeesh, and others spoke.
About Kerala Agriculture Department:
The Department of Agriculture Development & Farmers' Welfare (Kerala) is one of the Departments of Government of Kerala.
The Department of Agriculture Development & Farmers' Welfare is an important ministry in Kerala that administers agriculture development through promoting scientific farming practices and the welfare of farmers via different policies and programmes.
