KOTTAYAM: Vaikom was among the places which were affected the worst in the mid-August floods. The agriculture sector had taken a severe hit in the disaster. However, thanks to the efforts of the Kottayam District Agriculture Department, things are returning to normal. The department has formed a ‘Karshaka Punarjani Samiti’ as part of reviving agriculture in the district.
“Around 300 staffers from 11 blocks of the department will congregate at Maravanthuruthu in Vaikom taluk to help farmers cultivate their lands. Everyone, right from the officer to the peon, will ‘get their hands dirty’, so to speak. We have even roped in people registered with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS),” said district agriculture officer Rejimol Mathew.
She said 12 plots – in wards 7 and 8 of the Maravanthuruthu panchayat in Vaikom block – have been identified for cultivation. “Each of the 11 block offices has been allotted a plot. The one plot which remains will be handled by the staff of the district agriculture office,” Rejimol said.
She said the groundwork for the project was laid sometime back.
“The agriculture officers got land ploughed and cleared of undergrowth. It takes time to get the land scientifically prepared for planting. The frequent rain also didn’t help. So we prepared the land when the skies were clear,” she said. The area, which was well-cropped and had nutmeg, coconut and banana as major crops, had got inundated in the floods.