KOCHI: All is not lost. There is still hope for coconut farmers in the state where plantations of the official tree are fast dwindling. While many cry hoarse its cultivation is non-remunerative, veteran coconut farmer Ciby Kallingal of Thrissur has another story to tell.His new model of farming has yielded results and it is worth emulating. The healthy palms dotting his 25-acre plantation in Pananchery are a sight to behold. “Coconut cultivation is still profitable and a reliable farming venture for a family,” Ciby told Express.
The veteran farmer blamed some of the practices followed over the years for making coconut farming non-profitable. “For instance, we used to prepare troughs around the trees in summer to hold around 1,000-1,500 litres of water. But the tree hardly needs less than 300 litres. If we give more water, the fertiliser in the subsurface of the soil is lost,” he said. “I have been using drip irrigation in my farm where arecanut and nutmeg are the intercrops.”
“Further, we should analyse the nature of the market before selling the produce. If there is a chance for the improvement of prices or there already is a crash, we should hold the yield till the market catches up,” said Ciby, who received the Central Government’s Plant Genome Saviour Award.
He also received the Best Mixed Farmer award for Thrissur district instituted by Nabard and twice he received the Best Farmer of the District award by the state government. Ciby was also bestowed with the Karshakothama award for the best farmer by the state and was felicitated by the Governor on Independence Day.