THRISSUR: Amid reports of vegetable and fruit farmers across the state facing major losses after the Onam season, the Mattathur panchayat in Thrissur has emerged as an example of how farming can be a reliable source of income.
During the Onam season that began 10 days before Thiruvonam, the two farmers’ market platforms under the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) registered record sales of vegetables and fruits, including the Nendran banana.
The total collection: A whopping Rs 1 crore! On August 17 alone, which marked the first year of the Malayalam month of Chingam, VFPCK outlets in Mattathur sold nearly 25 tonnes of Nendran banana, which was in high demand, for a total of Rs 15.50 lakh. The panchayat is growing vegetables on around 350 acres, cultivating plantain on around 250 acres, besides growing other crops like Rambutan. Of its 55,000 residents, more than 10,000 are into farming.
“Mattathur panchayat has the highest numbers of farmers registered with the state government’s Agriculture Information Management System. The panchayat that is in the second position, does not even have half the number of farmers. Farmers of Mattathur have proved that agriculture can be a major revenue source,” said Unnikrishnan M P, agricultural officer, Mattathur Krishi Bhavan.
He said recently, a young graduate made around Rs 38 lakh in a year through vegetable farming in Mattathur. “This is a testament to people’s passion and also of the fertility of the soil here,” Unnikrishnan said.
In 2009, then Puthukkad MLA C Raveendranath took the initiative and launched the ‘Kadhalivanam’ project to cultivate the ‘kadhali’ variety of bananas in Mattathur and supply them to the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple. Regular supply took a hit during the pandemic as the temple remained closed for devotees. Now, farmers are gearing up to restart full-fledged ‘kadhali’ farming.
Unnikrishnan said at any point in time of the season, Mattathur had at least 5 lakh Nendran plantains, ensuring a steady supply of the banana variety.
People from other states have been coming to Mattathur in recent times to buy the Nendran bananas produced here due to limited availability of good quality bananas in markets in their areas. The farmer producers’ company makes chips and energy drinks from the bananas harvested in the panchayat.