Kerala, which had been leaning on neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for its vegetables/fruits to the tune of about R1,500-crore per year, has managed to pep up its domestic vegetable production by 64%.
A study by State Planning Board reveals that while the area under vegetable cultivation was 42,477 hectares in 2012-13, it has more than doubled to 90,533 hectares. The report shows that the state has achieved 0.44%, 18%, 2.6% and 14.2% growth in coconut, tapioca, banana and cardamom, respectively.
“It is not just the increase in vegetable production that needs to be noted, but that the agricultural produce in Kerala in recent times has been found devoid of hazardous pesticide residues,” says PB Pushpavathy, director of extension, Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). “This has been the outcome of persistent efforts to spread awareness about the dangers of indiscriminate use of pesticides,” she says.
The state produces about 3 lakh tonne of banana and 3.5 lakh tonne of pineapple. The new central policy of 100% FDI through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) route, in marketing of food products has brought an extra gleam to the eyes of banana and pineapple farmers.
In 2012, Kerala had only 22% self-sufficiency in vegetable production. Besides the endosulphan-triggered Kasargod tragedy that proved an eye-opener, the recent Kerala government crackdown on pesticide-heavy vegetables from neighbouring states had caused a household-level awareness on forming a wide string of kitchen gardens.
“I wouldn’t say that the produce is 100% organic. But there is robust level of awareness about responsible vegetable production and as the output increases, Kerala government will have to consider upgrading its long-term storage facilities,” said C Geetha, deputy director, agriculture, Kerala government.
From over 750 trucks per day, the arrival of vegetable loads from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has fallen to 400 trucks per day.