Visitors are flocking to Vilappil panchayat in the district to check out something special - marigolds in full bloom on a five-acre farm.
The orange and yellow varieties were grown in the Karode ward with an eye on the Onam market as a joint initiative of the Vilappil grama panchayat, Nemom block panchayat and the local Krishi Bhavan.
‘’We are getting a lot of visitors. This is the first time that a floriculture project was taken up in the panchayat on this scale,’‘ said Lilly Mohan, president, Vilappil grama panchayat. Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal will visit the farm on August 16 to kick off the harvest, she said.
The marigolds were cultivated on land owned by Sadiq M., taking a cue from a floriculture initiative promoted by I. B. Satheesh, the Kattakada MLA. The five-acre farm, close to the EMS Academy, was once part of the larger Kadambu Estate.
The land was made ready for growing marigolds with the help of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The block panchayat arranged the planting materials with assistance provided under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
The Krishi Bhavan arranged financial assistance through the State Horticulture Mission, said Jayadas C. V., Agriculture Officer, Vilappil. The day-to-day management of the cultivation was led by a young farmer, Ramesh B. Kumar.
After the planting was completed in mid-June, the project faced two pesky challenges. The first was posed by peacocks wandering into the farm in search of food. ‘‘They posed a problem during the planting stage and when the buds first appeared,’‘ Mr. Jayadas said. The second was even daunting, a bacterial wilt disease which was overcome with much difficulty.
With the Onam market in mind, a number of panchayats in the district have taken up the cultivation of flowers.
