This Onam season, Thiruvananthapuram’s agriculture department has procured approximately 3,000 metric tons of vegetables from local farmers.
Around 3,000 metric tons of vegetables were procured by the agriculture department in Thiruvananthapuram from local farmers. This was done under the initiative ‘Onathinu Orumuram Pachakari.’ Launched in 2017, the mission of this scheme was to encourage mass cultivation of vegetables with a participation of 63 lakh families. Today, the authorities envisage bringing locally cultivated vegetables to customer at a 30 per cent discount in comparison with the prices in the local market.
When the project initially started, the families who were the beneficiaries of the scheme grew vegetables required for the festivities in their backyards and terraces. This year this initiative came as a huge relief to the farmers amidst a raging pandemic. The department has purchased these vegetables from the farmers at a 10 per cent higher price. This means that they cost an estimated Rupees 1.60 crore. To sell these to customers at a 30 per cent discount, 107 Onam markets have been set up by the agriculture department in Thiruvananthapuram. Other than procuring these vegetables, the government had also provided seed packets and seedlings to the farmers.
When Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had inaugurated the project, it was hoped that it would make farming a social responsibility. Implemented as a part of the Haritha Kerala Mission, the scheme had contributors from all walks of life including homemakers, students, workers, vegetable farmers’ clusters, officials, and even institutions.
The aim was that each beneficiary family would produce a minimum of five kinds of vegetables which could be used in the preparation of Onasadya, the Onam feast which includes fruits and vegetables and is reputed for having as many as 60 dishes.
