KOTTAYAM: Chillies, especially the tiny ones called kanthari, usually bring tears to the eyes of anyone biting into them. They are that spicy. For the farmers of Kanamala in Erumeli though, these fiery chillies have brought tears of joy. Life was hard for the farmers of the village bordering the Erumeli forest division since they had to look on helplessly as wild animals destroyed their crops. “It was a daily affair,” said Binoy Mankanthanam, president, Kanamala Service Cooperative Bank. Even though the farmers turned to cash crops like rubber, the fall in prices was the next thing to hit them.
“There are 10 wards in Erumeli panchayat and a majority of the area suffers from wildlife attacks. Practically, farming isn’t the best thing for Kanamala,” he said. A discussion among members of the bank brought to their notice the high demand in the market for kanthari or bird’s eye chillies. “It was also practical to grow them as the wild animals weren’t fond of these spicy chillies,” he said.
Before speaking to the Kanamala farmers about procuring kanthari from them, he visited the Thrissur market and some chilli farmers in Palakkad district to know the details of kanthari farming and its sale.
“Vendors at the Thrissur market assured me that they were ready to procure any quantity of kanthari,” he said.
The cooperative bank decided to procure the chillies at a base price of `250 per kg. “This was to be the price immaterial of the market rates,” he said. It was also decided that when profit increased, so would the base price. So hundreds of farmers began cultivating kanthari. “The chillies can be planted anywhere. Among the rubber trees in plantations or even backyards,” Binoy added. According to Lince V A, a farmer, the tiny chillies have indeed brought in revenue. “I am growing kanthari on land taken on lease along with a friend of mine. At present, I have 1,000 plants and I harvest around 17 kg of chillies every 15th day. So, I get `8,500 every month and that too without any extra expenses,” he said.
When the movement of chillies slowed during the lockdown period, the bank came up with plans to process them into various products, said Binoy. The bank has been procuring a minimum of 200 kg every month. “After we started the initiative, many companies including Ayurvedic firms came forward to procure the chillies,” he said.
After doing much study, the bank also came up with three other programmes to boost the local economy - Pampavalley Pothu Gramam (Beef village), Eruthuvappuzha Then Gramam (Honey village) and Mukkootuthara Meen Gramam (Fish village). “For this we got the farmers to form farmers’ clubs. There are 25 such clubs in the village and for the farmers to get loans, they have to be members,” said Binoy. According to him, the Kanamala model of farming has become very famous in the state.
“The bank provides low-interest loans to build fish tanks, buy buffalo calves and honey bee units. We have announced a fixed price of Rs 300 for one kg of beef, Rs 300 for one kg of fish and Rs 200 for one kg of honey. If the farmers are unable to sell the products, the bank procures the goods at fixed rates,” said Binoy.
According to Joby Joseph, a honey farmer, doing alternative farming has been good for the farmers in the village. “The bank under the new leadership has been doing a lot in giving a boost to the agrarian sector in the village. And they have been doing it quite successfully,” he added.