PATHANAMTHITTA: Parumala was once famous for its sugarcane cultivation. Large swathes of sugarcane fields helped hundreds of farmers of the village, near Tiruvalla, earn a decent living. They cultivated the crop mainly for the Pulikeezhu Pampa sugar factory. However, when the factory shut down, nearly 30 years ago, they were forced to stop growing sugarcane and turn to other cash crops.
Now, Parumala is back on the sugarcane map, with farmers marking a return to the cultivation of the giant tropical grass on Monday -- with the support of Pathanamthitta district panchayat and Kadapra grama panchayat. The villagers have set up the Pampa Karimbu Karashaka Samithi (Sugarcane Farmers’ Association) in ward seven of Kadapra panchayat to spearhead sugarcane cultivation.
“We are happy that Parumala is set to return to its sweet roots. Over 30 years ago, we had sugarcane fields everywhere. But the bitter taste of financial losses forced farmers to quit cultivation. However, now both the district panchayat and grama panchayat have come forward to ensure all support to sugarcane farmers. They will help better market the products and fetch us better prices,” said E K Reghunathan Nair, secretary of the Samithi.
“After stopping sugarcane production over 30 years ago, farmers mainly turned to cultivate bananas and other crops. But the floods and heavy rains since 2018, which destroyed their crops, left many farmers ruing the decision. We were searching for a solution.
The district panchayat president, Omallur Sankaran, suggested reviving sugarcane cultivation and he promised all the support. This made a lot of sense since the sugarcane crop is not affected by floods,”
said Reghunathan Nair, who started cultivation on an acre of land on Monday.
The villagers will cover over 10 acres in the first phase. They have planted the Madhuri variety, which can be harvested after 11-12 months. The sugarcane setts were purchased from the sugarcane research station and seedling farm in Pandalam,” he said.
Kadapra grama panchayat has set aside Rs 10 lakh for sugarcane cultivation, and president Nisha Ashokan said all support will be provided to farmers to help them turn a profit.