Terrace farming shifts to city suburbs

Even while struggling to achieve the prescribed

target for setting up terrace garden in the 12,500 families in the Corporation,

the District Agri-Horticulture Mission has decided to extend ‘Peri- Urban

Vegetable Cluster Programme’ into the municipalities.

 As per the programme, the government

will provide seedlings with speciallydesigned uv stabilised bags for growing

vegetables on the terraces.

 Applications should be submitted to the

district administration through the respective residents’ associations along with

the payment of `800 towards the subsidised cost of the unit.

 The programme which has received a luke

response from the city limits has been extended to four major municipalities - Kalamaserry,

Thrikakkara, Maradu and Tripunithura.

 “We had already extended the project to

the rural areas like Perumbavoor and Thiruvankulam to reach the 4000 mark,”

said Jacob Vargheese, the district coordination committee executive of the

programme.

 “We expect a better response from the

residents associations in the municipal areas.

 The ‘urban families’ are so busy with

other things that they hardly get time for terrace farming.

 When we contacted, the residents in the

municipalities have shown interest in the programme,” he said.

 The Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residence

Association ( T R U R A ) i n t h e Tripunithura Municipality, which has a

membership of over 2000 residents, has already planned to launch the project

within a month.

 “We have decided include 1000 families

in the project.

 The bags, with planted seedlings, will

be transported to the homes of the beneficiaries.

 A single unit with 20 planted seedlings

will be allowed in each of the houses,” he said.

 The chosen families will be given a 50

per cent subsidy.

 This project will help encourage the

cultivation and achieve self-sufficiency in food production, said K P Prasad,

TRURA chairman.