Eranholi
Grama Panchayat

Millet Harvest Festival

Thalassery: Millet Harvest Festival Held at Eranholi Grama Panchayath

The millet harvest at the farm of Shri Arayakkandi Rajan, in Ward No. 1 of Eranholi Grama Panchayath, was inaugurated by Shri Kattyath Prakashan, President of Eranholi Grama Panchayath.

A traditional organic farmer, Shri Rajan has been cultivating millet continuously for more than four decades, without a break. He cultivates millet on a bund constructed using mud from the Anjarakandy–Dharmadam River (Kali). Despite the saline conditions of the area, which make it difficult to cultivate many other crops, the farmer has achieved remarkable success by growing this nutritious minor millet, which thrives even under adverse conditions.

For many years, Shri Rajan has been using traditional seeds preserved by his family for cultivation. He first sows the seeds on dry land and later transplants the seedlings to the bund. The crop takes approximately four and a half months to mature. When the grains change colour, they are harvested either using a sickle or by hand, threshed and cleaned to remove the chaff, and then dried under mild sunlight, completing the millet cultivation process.

The organically produced millet has considerable demand as a nutritious food suitable for children and people with diabetes.

Apart from millet cultivation, Shri Rajan makes full use of his two-and-a-half-acre farm, cultivating a variety of crops throughout the year without leaving any portion of the land unused. These include paddy, banana, horse gram, cowpea, ash gourd, elephant yam and turmeric, among others. Coming from a traditional farming family, he follows organic farming practices.

Since he owns dairy cows, there is no shortage of farmyard manure required for cultivation. For feeding the cattle, he grows Guinea grass and hybrid Napier grass, in addition to using paddy and millet straw. He also undertakes karimeen (pearl spot) fish farming in waterlogged areas.

The programme was presided over by Shri Janardhanan K., Chairperson of the Development Standing Committee of Eranholi Grama Panchayath. Smt. Kavya T.K., Agricultural Officer, welcomed the gathering.

Smt. Safeera C., Vice President of Eranholi Grama Panchayath; Smt. Kandyan Sheeba, Chairperson of the Welfare Standing Committee; Shri Sushil Chandranoth, Ward Member; Smt. Vibitha K.V.; Shri P. Sadanandan; Smt. Dijisha K.; Smt. Shyama O.R.; and Shri Pankajakshan, member of the Agricultural Development Committee, conveyed their greetings.

Shri Adhip Shankar K.P., Agriculture Assistant, proposed the vote of thanks.

Students and teachers from Sree Narayana Basic U.P. School and Thayli Musibiyan L.P. School also participated in the programme to learn firsthand about Shri Rajan's traditional farming methods and agricultural practices.