KOZHIKODE: Agriculture minister V.S. Sunil Kumar recently got a strange request from a group of farmers from Tamil Nadu. Considering the huge demand for organic farming in Kerala and the Malayalees’ aversion for ‘other-state’ vegetables of late, let them produce organic vegetables for Kerala! The minister, who was surprised at the demand did not give an immediate answer, but replied that ‘he would consider’.
The previous governments were criticised for their inability to keep a check on the "poisonous" vegetables that are reaching the Kerala market from nearby states. Now, the department is planning methods to increase the lab facilities and providing GAP licence to more farms to go ‘purely’ organic. There were reports that poisonous vegetables are still reaching the state unchecked from places like Gundlupet, Terakanambi and Mysore.
