Organic farm produce to get certification

Minister for Agriculture Mullakkara Ratnakaran said here on Saturday that the government would promote certification of organic farm produce. Inaugurating the fifth anniversary celebrations of the Organic Bazaar, a monthly market organised by a group of NGOs, he said certification procedures were necessary to ensure a good market for organic crops produced by farmers in Kerala. The Minister said organic farming was emerging as a means to revive the flagging agriculture sector in the State. "The increasing acceptance of organic methods of cultivation among farmers in the State signals the beginning of a 'Return to Nature' trend."Mr. Ratnakaran said organic farming also had the potential to restore lost values which once ensured a harmonious relationship between man and Nature. "The blind craze for profit has destroyed our organic link with the environment. All over the world, communities ravaged by the use of chemicals are now realising the imperative to return to Nature."The Minister said the government would introduce laws and policies to promote organic farming. "More than 50 schools have taken up paddy farming with government support," he said.C. Jayakumar, co-ordinator, Thanal Conservation Action and Information Network, and director Usha also spoke. Farmers who had taken up organic methods of cultivation were honoured at the function. Former president of the Venganoor panchayat Rufus Daniel was also present. Started in 2003 as an experimental venture, the Organic Bazaar offers farmers the chance to sell their produce directly to consumers without middlemen. The products available at the market include vegetables and fruits, cereals, pulses, spices, eggs, honey, processed food, herbal items, soap, bees wax candles, traditional textiles and paper products. According to Mr. Jayakumar, the prices of goods sold through the Organic Bazaar are dictated by a combination of factors like the wholesale and retail market prices and the input costs of farmers. "As many as 72 farmers in the Kovalam, Vizhinjam and Balaramapuram areas regularly supply us with their produce. By bypassing middlemen, the farmers make a greater profit while customers are assured of quality and unmanipulated prices. Today, we sell about 2,000 kg of vegetables every month," he said. The organic manure used by the farmers is produced at the Zero Waste Centre operated by Thanal at Kovalam.

The Hindu, 9^th   November 2008

CESS proposals on preventing slumping remain on paper

It's another tourist season at Varkala, yet the recommendations of the Centre for Earth Science Studies for the protection of the natural seaside cliffs from rapid slumping remain on paper. The share government seems to have turned a blind eye to the threat to life and property, and also the tourism industry. Varkala cliff has been sliding down at a fast rate in the last 40 years, threatened by south-west and north east monsoon, weathering of the slope and geotechnical instability. You can see large boulders sitting ditched from the cliff, waiting to tumble down once the foot s gone due to sea erosion. Since 1967 , the shoreline adjacent the cliffs of weak laterrite rocks have retreated by nearly 25 to 50m. based on the investigations carried out in the area, CESS scientists had proposed a Landuse Control Plan to contain the cliff top edges from slumping.For the long-term stabilization of the cliff, a three-stage action plan had also been proposed. Terracing of the cliff section based n the geo-technical properties of the different layers, artificial generation of beach in the toe-region of the cliff by beach nourishments, submerged breakwater and other location specific coastal engineering structures and regulation of the two small streams to flow into a freshwater swimming pool on the landward side of the beach were the major recommendations. The other major suggestions were a bio-fencing in the cliff-edge, 2-metre walkway adjacent ti the fence, non-mealled pavements so that only auto rickshaws can ply, a buffer zone for all future developments and water-drains in addition to the exiting water pipes. None of the recommendations have been implemented in this fames tourist destination and instead of bio-fencing, the cast-iron fence has rusted out, a fall from which can only mean a plummet to death.

 

The New Indian Express, 9^th November 2008

Logo for Animal Fest 2008 released

District panchayat president Subida Isahaq released the logo for the regional Animal Fest (Onarvu 2008), being organised by the Kerala Animal Husbandry Department from November 22 to 24, at a function here on Wednesday. The three-day fete will have participation from Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Malappuram districts. There will be exhibitions and seminars on all days.The participants of the exhibition include Meat Products of India, Kerala Livestock Development Board, Milma, Dairy Development Department, Kudumbasree units, milk societies, cattle feed companies, State government corporations and a number of private companies.

The Hindu, 7th November 2008

Kochi Metro rail project yet to get green signal

Land acquisition and preliminary work for the elevated light-metro rail project proposed for Kochi would have progressed much by now, but for the Union Planning Commission opposing the execution of the project as a joint-venture between the Centre and the State. This leaves the city that is facing maddening traffic snarls with two options – either opt for a public-private partnership (PPP) or increase the percentage of loan to be taken from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The State Government is opposed to private participation since the cost of commuting would be very high, while a decision on the second option has not been taken. A senior official in the State Transport Department said that the Commission suggested a PPP model, whereas the State Government was keen on the joint-venture project on the lines of metro-rail projects in New Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. Hyderabad is the only city with metro-rail project in the PPP model. The Government was for the State and Centre pooling in equity in a 15:15 ratio. Similarly, the two entities could pool in funds on a 10:15 ratio for subordinate debts (like land acquisition and tax). The balance 45 per cent amount could be raised as loan from the JBIC. Transport planners say that metro-rail is the sole alternative for Kochi city, which is witnessing a phenomenal growth in traffic because of inadequate public transport. "The 650-odd private city buses cannot carry more than 8,000 passengers every hour per direction of traffic. A study carried out by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in 2005 had found that there would be 13,000 passengers per direction of traffic in Kochi by 2010. This would go up to 24,000 in 2025. The elevated light metro-rail envisaged for Kochi can carry this many passengers on completion and hence is a futuristic and feasible project aimed at decongesting Kochi. The Aluva-Ernakulam-Thripunithura corridor is the most suited since it has the most number of commuters," said an expert with decades of experience in the field. Asserting that the metro-rail is the sole way to overcome the chaotic traffic in Kochi, he said that a bus-rapid-transport system would not be feasible since city roads do not have the width to spare a lane just for buses. "The advantage of metro-rail is that the number of coaches in each train can be increased from the three that has been proposed, to up to nine when there is an increase in passengers during peak hours and festive seasons. This means, the metro would take care of the city's commuting needs for at least another 25 years." Aimed at speeding up the project, the District Administration had prevailed on the State Government to invoke the urgency clause for taking advance possession of the land required. With the Planning Commission opposing the State's proposal on funding, the much-delayed project has been held up further.

The Hindu, 7^th  November 2008