agriculture
"Rice bowl of Kerala" is the synonym for Palakkad. The net cultivated area of the district is 284 lakh hectares, ie., 64 per cent of the geographical area. Major portion of the cultivable land is used for raising food crops. All food crops together account for about 80 per cent of the gross cropped area and paddy alone accounts for about 60 per cent of it. Coconut, groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, pepper, banana and cashewnut are some of the major cash crops raised.
There are a number of agricultural institutions like the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Soil Testing Laboratory, Fertilizer Quality Control Laboratory, Mushroom Laboratory and Agricultural Engineering Workshop. Seeds of different paddy varieties are produced and distributed through the five state seed farms in the district situated at Alathur, Anangandi, Kongad, Kannanur and Muthalamada. At the 325 hectare farm at Nelliyampathy orange, coffee, cardamom, mango and vegetables are cultivated. The fruit processing unit in this farm is popular for its squashes, jams and jellies. The Integrated Seed Development Farm at Eruthiampathy is mainly intended for multiplication of green manure, seeds, sugarcane, cotton and groundnut. The Central Orchard, Pattambi and Horticultural Development Farm, Malampuzha are some of the other important institutions where coconut, vegetables, mangoes are cultivated. Training centres such as RATTC, Malampuzha and F.T.C, Alathur started functioning for imparting training to agricultural officers and farmers respectively.
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
There are a number of animal husbandry institutions to take care of livestock and poultry. The district has one District Veterinary Centre, four veterinary poly clinics, fifteen veterinary hospitals, seventy seven veterinary dispensaries, three mobile farm aid units and one mobile veterinary dispensary. There is a Regional Poultry Farm at Malampuzha to rear chicks for the plan schemes, a Government Goat Farm at Naikerpady in Attappady with a capacity to rear 150 goats and two artificial insemination centres; one each at Vaniamkulam and Irumbakamchola. In addition, there are 72 KDP subcentres, two Regional Artificial Insemination Centres, one at Palakkad and other at Shornur. The state headquarters of the Rinderpest Eradication Programme is situated at Palakkad. Eight border checkposts are installed to protect cattle from this disease.
DAIRY DEVELOPMENT
The Department of Dairy Development is undertaking programmes aimed at increasing milk production. The dairy farmers are assisted with necessary inputs under various programmes.
Dairy farm instructors and block level dairy development officers conduct house visits and advise farmers about the various aspects of dairying. Farmer's contact programmes and indigenous milk products manufacture demonstrations are held to benefit dairy farmers and rural consumers. Assistance is provided for setting up model dairy farm units. Cattle shows at block and district levels are organised to provide motivation for the farmers. They are also assisted in the construction of model cattle sheds and supplied with clean milk production kit for hygienic milk production. Mineral and vitamin supplements are distributed to deserving farmers at subsidised prices.
Incentives for fodder cultivation on commercial scale is provided to individual farmers and dairy co-operatives.
Around 140 dairy co-operatives are functioning in the district. The dairy co-operatives are assisted in the purchase of modern milk testing equipments, milk cans, chemicals for testing and sanitation, setting up of cattle feed mixing units, building for small collection cum office rooms, purchase of furniture, working capital, managerial subsidy for secretaries, purchase and sale of fodder etc.
Practically oriented training for scientific cattle rearing practices, milk product manufacture, quality control, fodder production, dairy cooperative managements, etc. are imparted to the farmers at the Dairy Training Centre at Alathur.
The Malabar Regional Co-operative Milk Producers Union runs a 40,000 litre capacity dairy at Kalleppully and 10,000 litre capacity chilling plant at Agali. The 100 tonne capacity livestock and poultry feed factory at Malampuzha is under the management of the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation. There is bull station and fodder farm at Dhoni, running well, under the control of Kerala Livestock Development Board.
Content Courtesy: Department of Information & Public Relation