Avala Pandi paddy harvest festival today

Kozhikode: Welcome to Avala Pandi. The rice-bowl of Kozhikode will celebrate its harvest festival in 1,100 acres of paddy land on Sunday after a long gap of 30 years. Cheruvannur grama panchayat, agriculture department and Mission Perambra, the three chief organisers, did not expect this enormous success when they joined hands last year to rejuvenate Avala Pandi lying idle for three decades. “It is the result of efforts put together. Besides the rejuvenation of the kole land, an atmosphere of agrarian culture is being restored,” said Cheruvannur panchayat president Biju K.P.

The uphill task of setting ready the weed encroached and water-logged fields was materialised in September. The Agriculture University provided machine to pluck out the weeds. Irrigation officials successfully regulated the release of canal water so as to avoid excess water entering the land. Locals and CPM workers wholeheartedly set the land fit for paddy transplant through several programmes such as Ellarum Paadathek.

In December first week, chief minister performed the paddy transplantation, and the agriculture process slowly gained pace from 300 to 500 acres and later to 1100 acres. “The harvest has already begun and almost completed in 80 acres,” added Mr Biju. Another significant thing is that Consumerfed has agreed to buy rice at a rate of Rs 21 and fodder by MILMA at '6 per kg. “If the calculation goes right, the paddy cultivation in Avala Pandi will register a record profit,” says the assistant director of agriculture A. Pushpa.

Kerala Agriculture University has provided all technical support to the project. Dr U. Jayakumaran of the Agriculture University is the project coordinator. The lush green paddy cultivation lies across nine panchayats in the area of which Cheruvannur has the maximum share. Agriculture minister V.S, Sunilkumar will inaugurate the harvest in the presence of transport minister A.K. Saseendran and actor Sreenivasan.