It was a harvest festival of a different kind when the paddy cultivated by the members of Student Police Cadet (SPC) of the Government High School, Pazhayarikandam, was reaped on Thursday.
Electricity Minister M.M. Mani joined the students in reaping the harvest.
Farmer’s life
Mr. Mani said he was a farmer prior to becoming a full-time politician. He shared his memories of his life as a farmer in the district when paddy was a major crop for settlers.
He said the initiative of the students was a positive sign that the young generation had not abandoned farming.
It was a model for the general public and a mindset for hard work should be retained. The farming was a means of livelihood in the district and the early settlers worked hard in making the land productive. Many achievements in farm technologies should be used for augmenting farm production, he said.
The SPC unit sowed the seeds last October with the help of the Agriculture Department as part of the ‘Padom Onnu, Padathekku’ ( Lesson One, to Paddy Field) scheme.
The 1.5-acre land for sowing the seeds was given by T.S. Jessymol, a teacher of the school.
Organic farming was preferred to reduce the expenses. ‘Ithikannappan’, a traditional seed variety which needed a growth period of 130 days, was used.
.jpg?w=600)
