Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) - Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Palakkad, have taken a joint initiative to motivate tribal people in Attapadi block to revive sugarcane crop in the organically-rich soil.

Buoyed by a trial initiated during February on a one-acre area in Pudur Grama Panchayat that resulted in phenomenal 53 tonnes produce, both the institutions have firmed up plans to further it whereby the ICAR-SBI would provide seeds and technical inputs while the KVK-Palakkad would establish a jaggery production unit in the Attapady block. The Agriculture Department in Kerala has duly responded by clearing the proposal for extending agricultural loans to Attapadi farmers for providing crop loans for raising sugarcane.

The farmers, who were on Monday oriented on sugarcane cultivation by ICAR-SBI under the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes Component (DAPSTC) by scientists and experts from the two research institutions, were informed by the Assistant Director of Agriculture, Agali, A. Govindaraj that the State government had approved the proposal for extending loans to raise sugarcane crops.

Cultivating sugarcane will be a viable economic option for the farmers in Attapadi since the crop is raised only in about 1,000 hectares in the whole of Kerala, said T. Puthira Prathap, Principal Scientist and Project Coordinator, Scheduled Tribe Component.

The proposed jaggery unit in Attapadi block to be established by the KVK-Palakkad would accord the requisite thrust for sugarcane cultivation among the tribal communities, Dr. M. Israel Thomas, Senior Scientist and Head - Programme Coordinator, ICAR - KVK Palakkad, said, while elaborating on the significance of Union Government’s Keth Bachao Abhiyan activities carried out by the Kendra.

According to Pushparaj Angello, Chief Technical Officer, ICAR-KVK Ernakulam, assured the tribal farmers that sugarcane raised organically in their fields would fetch them much higher returns.

P. Geetha, Principal Scientist, ICAR-SBI explained the methods of raising organic crops of millet varieties, and balanced use of fertilizers.

The orientation was carried out as part of the awareness campaign for tribal people by the ICAR-SBI for the nutritional upkeep of the residents predominantly suffering from anaemia. The ICAR-SBI provided them with agricultural kits and seeds for raising millets and various kinds of vegetables on the occasion.

Representatives of the Irula tribal community expressed their readiness to take to cultivation of sugarcane and millet crops, and requested the authorities to facilitate them by addressing the menace of wild boars.