A harvest festival of a different kind will be held in the district on June 14. Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan will inaugurate the harvesting of produce from banana plants sprayed with biopesticides developed by the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) on the day at the Sanghamythri Farmers Producer Company Ltd, Pallichal, at 3 pm.
The CTCRI at Sreekariyam had successfully developed ‘Menma’ and ‘Nanma’ from tapioca (cassava) leaves some time back and the biopesticides were used in banana plantations in Thiruvananthapuram, Kasargod and Malappuram districts with great success to combat the menace of pseudostem weevil, Dr C A Jayaprakash, who led the biopesticide project, said.
‘’The biopesticide was sprayed on 34,000 banana plants in the three districts. In Thiruvananthapuram, we conducted the validation procedure in association with the Sanghamythri co-operative,’’ Jayaprakash said. The event is being jointly organised by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action, CTCRI and the Sanghamythri Farmers Producer Company Ltd.
The project was undertaken under the Centre’s Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
‘’Not a single plant sprayed with the biopesticide had been affected by the pseudostem weevil,’’ Jayaprakash said.
Deputy Speaker N Sakthan will preside over the function in Pallichal. The CTCRI also plans to conduct a similar festival in Kasargod soon.
