THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The film ‘How old are you’ made Malayalis think of the benefits of organic vegetable cultivation on terraces. Manju Warrier in the role of Nirupama Rajeev sent a powerful message on the adverse effect of consuming pesticide-riddled vegetables.
The state government has also decided to promote organic terrace farming through the Kudumbasree and the Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC).
But its success depends on the willingness of households to take up the cultivation similar to the campaign for total literacy conducted in the state in 1990.
Recently, concerned over the pesticide problem, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy suggested to have a mechanism to check the quality of vegetables at the sourcing centre itself. But this may not be practical, according to experts.
Food safety officials had recommended that the flow of contaminated fruits and vegetables could be checked by taking the samples at the source itself.
But according to former agriculture director R. Heli the state doesn’t have any direct connection with the vegetable production centres.
“We are in the dark as to who supplies the vegetables as there will be several middle men involved.
Our food safety officials would require more manpower and the cooperation of their Tamil Nadu counterparts.
Their farmers would resist the move. So checking should be done at local markets,” said Mr Heli, 80.
Kerala depends on the neighbouring states for vegetables and majority of them use pesticides banned by the European Union.
According to the Economic Review 2013 by the State Planning Board, Kerala has been cultivating vegetables in 31, 449 hectares, with 50 percent of the cultivation confined to Palakkad, Idukki, Malappuram and Kollam districts.
The production of vegetables in the state is estimated at 8.25 lakh MT taking into account the productivity as 12 MT/hectare.
As per the report of the task force on vegetable development, by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan, the requirement of vegetables in the state is estimated to be 38.62 lakh tonnes based on population projections.
Recently, the Kerala Agriculture University’s pesticide residue analysis lab at Vellayani revealed that a few of the organic vegetable shops in Thiruvananthapuram were selling contaminated fruits and vegetables.
Prof. Thomas Biju Mathew, who heads the lab, told DC, “since January 2014, we have increased the sample testing to 200 varieties of vegetables and fruits every month out of which, 100 are being collected from Kasargod and remaining from various markets in other districts.
Apart from fruits and vegetables, we tested spices like elaichi, cumin seeds, chilly powder, Kashmiri chilly powder and dried red chilly.
Four samples of chilly powder tested positive for chlorpyriphose, cypermethrin and ethion which are poisonous,” Dr. Biju Mathew said.
Agriculture director R. Ajith Kumar said a third testing lab would come up at Pilicode in Kannur district. “Recently, the state government had sanctioned Rs 2.3 crore to set up the pesticide residue lab at Pilicode. Another funding is expected from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to set up a similar lab at Neeleshwaram in Kasargod district. Both are expected to start functioning by 2015,” he said.
However, a senior agriculture official dismissed Agriculture Minister K. P. Mohanan’s claim that by 2016 the state would become organic.
He points out that the trials to test the level of fertiliser itself were contradictory.
He feels that ‘Veggie Wash’ developed by the scientists at KAU will not clear the pesticide from fruits and vegetables as the chemicals in the product cannot be removed completely.
“Government agencies like Horticorp and Kerala Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council should promote pesticide-free vegetables. Vegetables should not be sold over the counter, but with the prescription of the agriculture officer’s certification on the permitted quantity of pesticide used,” he said.
