THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Rajendra Arlekar led the harvest of crops cultivated on the Raj Bhavan premises here on Tuesday, turning the governor’s residence into a thriving model farm.
On the five-acre plot where farming was taken up on a large scale, the governor appeared visibly delighted to see the rich yield. A variety of vegetables are now ready for harvest at Raj Bhavan. They include snake gourd, spinach, drumstick, ash gourd, pumpkin, cucumber, perennial brinjal, cabbage, brinjal, long beans, tapioca, green chilli, and sweet potato.
The governor expressed happiness on seeing his vision of transforming Raj Bhavan into a productive vegetable garden becoming a reality. The governor had wished to distribute vegetable kits from this farm to all Raj Bhavan staff on Onam.
However, heavy rains affected the plan, allowing only spinach, beans, and ladies finger could be be included in the Onam kits. Among the crops, beans occupy the largest area - 400 planting pits across three varieties.
There are 300 banana plants (Rasakathali variety) and 250 tapioca pits as well. Vegetables like ladies finger, green chilli, perennial brinjal and others have been planted in plots of about 10 cents each.
Governor Arlekar drew inspiration from a successful farming experiment he initiated while serving as the Governor of Bihar.
The project also aims to effectively utilise the service and effort of Raj Bhavan staff. “A supervisor from the Agriculture Department has been appointed to oversee the work. Proper upkeep has resulted in a remarkably good yield,” a Raj Bhavan staffer said.