TIRUVARUR: Farmers in the Cauvery delta and family members of late Nel Jayaraman on Wednesday thanked the State government for including a profile of the organic farmer in the 12th standard syllabus.
A reference about the contribution made by the organic farmer Nel Jayaraman, who collected and revived more than 175 varieties of traditional paddy seeds, in the Botany textbook have delighted the delta farmers.
Jayaraman was known for his Herculean efforts at finding and reviving the traditional paddy seeds with an aim to save them from extinction. He organised exhibitions of rare varieties every year for over a decade.P R Pandian, general secretary of Tamilaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam, said the association welcomed the introduction about the work of Nel Jayaraman, the Save the Rice campaign’s state coordinator and association’s vice president in the textbook for students. This would contribute to the development of interest among students about the traditional agricultural practices and growing organic food crops, he said.
Pandian said he had stressed the need to include the contribution of Jayaraman in the syllabus when he met the Chief Minister when tributes were paid to the departed farmer. Jayaraman passed away on 6 December 2018 after a prolonged illness. Chithra Jayaraman, wife of the organic farmer, thanked the Chief Minister and the Education Minister for the gesture.