KOCHI: Kumbalangi will no longer be known just for Pokkali paddy holdings or its serene beauty that beckons tourists from across the world. In a novel effort, the Kumbalangi Model Tourism is all set to introduce ginger and turmeric cultivation. Arguably, it might be the first time that these hill produces are being cultivated in a coastal village. The project is being implemented under the aegis of the grama panchayat and the Kumbalangi Model Tourism Development Society (KMTDS).“Ginger and turmeric will be cultivated as inter-crop in the four wards of the panchayat which have been selected to constitute a cluster for coconut farming by the Coconut Development Board. The cluster was constituted aiming at facilitating more production. During a meeting convened to discuss the steps to be taken to increase production of coconut, there was a suggestion to utilise the remaining area of land in between the row of coconut trees. It was then that the suggestion to introduce farming of a mid crop came up. Though it was initially decided to use the area for plantain farming, the KMTDS came up with the idea of introducing hill produces. The proposal was later discussed at a meeting with the panchayat and forwarded to the Coconut Board which accepted it,” said KMTDS president M P Sivadathan.“Our plan is to get seeds of hill produces from Wayanad where ginger and turmeric are usually grown. Since the climate in Kumbalangi is suitable and the soil has moisture, we hope that our efforts will bear fruit,” he added.“Wards 2, 14, 15 and 16 constitute a cluster in Kumbalangi Panchayat. The total area of the cluster is around 25 acres and 264 farmers have been identified for assistance in this cluster. We thought of farming hill produces on an experimental basis as a wide variety of vegetable are already produced in Kumbalangi. If found to be successful, it will be extended to other parts of the panchayat with the help of several self-help groups functioning under the society,” said KMTDS secretary Shaji Kurupassery.
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