Thodupuzha.info

In what could be a boost for the spice growing farmers, the Spices Board is planning to set up an export unit in a 100acre land at Thodupuzha, which would help the farmers sell their products directly. With major spice consuming countries like the US and Europe demanding more quality compliance from the producing countries, the Spices Parks coming up at various parts of the country will aim to ensure that only quality products are being exported.
The current export from India is 48 percent of the world trade and it is bound to increase with the completion of work on the other six Spices Parks.
Spices Board chairman V J Kurian said a proposal had been submitted to the State Government seeking land at Thodupuzha for the unit and a positive response is expected soon.
If value addition is given for the products, the farmers can get a reasonable price for their products by selling it directly to the exporters.

The Spices Park helps the farmers to clean, grade and pack their products before exporting and sell it directly avoiding middlemen in the trade.
The second Park, which is coming up at Puttady in Idukki, will be dedicated to the nation by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma on Sunday.
The Park at Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh has been completed and those at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu, Guna in Madhya Pradesh, Mehsana in Gujarat, Jodhpur and Kota in Rajasthan will be completed this year. Kurian said the basic objective was to provide common infrastructure facilities for both post harvest and processing operations of spices and also to provide rural employment.
He said the Park in Idukki had processing plants for cardamom and pepper with cleaning, grading and sorting based on size, colour and packing. In addition to this, there are four godowns with a total area 2,750 square metre for storing raw materials and finished good.
The Board has set up a fullfledged eauction centre with a higher end server and 60 client terminals. The Union Bank of India has already set up a branch which will help farmers store their products till a reasonable price is received for their products.

Colocasia esculenta, taro is a herbaceous plant from old world tropics,(commonly known as Chempu in Malayalam) with thick tuber (underground stem) containing much starch; cultivated for food for many centuries. Taro must be cooked to destroy the acrid crystals of calcium oxalate found in all parts of the plant. The colocasia is a crop of tropical and sub-tropical regions and requires a warm humid climate. Under rainfed conditions, it requires a fairly well distributed rainfall around 120-150 cm during the growth period. Well-drained soil is suitable for uniform development of tubers.. Inter-cultivation is essential in colocasia. Weeding, light hoeing and earthing up are required at 30-45 days and 60-75 days after planting. The leafy parts may be smothered about one month before harvest so as to enhance tuber development.

Colocasia becomes ready for harvest five to six months after planting. The mother corms and side tubers are separated after harvest. Ensure sufficient moisture in the soil at the time of planting. For uniform sprouting, irrigate just after planting and one week later. Subsequent irrigation may be given at 12-15 days intervals, depending on the moisture retention capacity of the soil.

The side tubers to be used as planting materials are usually separated from the mother corm and stored. Keep seed tuber in sand spread over the floor to avoid rotting.

Idukki: Even as the people of the Idukki plantation area suffer from the harmful effects of the use of the harmful pesticide endosulfan, report suggests that the pesticide is still being used widely in the plantations of Peerumedu.

Easy availability from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu and its effectiveness as a pesticide make endosulfan a preferred choice of farmers. Social activists are alleging that increasing cases of cancer in the area in recent times. There is no specific checking at the Kerala-TN checkposts and pesticide bottles bought from shops in TN freely cross border.

The Central agricultural ministry had informed that a complete ban on endosulfan can be imposed only after detailed talks with all states. The Agricultural ministry expressed this during the review meeting convened by the Union Environment and Forests Ministry at New Delhi.

An all-party delegation would meet prime minister with the demand to ban the pesticide in the whole country. The meet also decided to build and distribute houses to the homeless in the affected areas. State Chief Minister V.S Achuthanandan had informed that the State government has decided to revise the pension amount of the endosulfan victims who are bed ridden, from Rs 1000 to Rs. 2000 per month.
Thodupuzha news