Kerala: Kattakkada's marigold cultivation draws tourists ahead of Onam celebrations

Tourists flock to Pallichal gram Panchayat in Kattakkada to see blooming marigold flowers.

Tourists from Thiruvananthapuram city and other parts of the state are thronging to the twelfth ward of Pallichal gram Panchayat in Kattakkada here to have a glimpse of the blooming marigold flowers in yellow and orange colours. Pallichal panchayat has 26 acres of marigold cultivation in 13 places. Under the project of "ente Nadu ente onam" 50 acres of land has been used for flower cultivation this year in the Kattakkada constituency.

Usually, Kerala people depend on Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states for flowers for making floral carpets "(Athappookkalam) which is an integral part of the Onam celebration. On the first day of ten days long Onam celebration, known as Atham Day, people make floral carpets in houses, apartments, offices and in public places. Tons of flowers are moved to different parts of the state from neighbouring states. This year at least a few people are making floral carpets with locally cultivated flowers. Flower cultivation is not popular in Kerala. But in the last few years, people are experiencing flower cultivation in various places.

Kattakkada constituency MLA I.B. Satheesh said that "We use the methodology "convergence" in each project of Kattakkada constituency. For this project MGNREGA workers have prepared the land, Panchayat has given permission and supervised it, Kudumbasree workers are engaged in flower cultivation and the agriculture department had offered all support. Apart from its beauty, this project shares a big message."

Mallika, Pallichal grama panchayat president said, "Cultivation has been done in the wasteland. Panchayat has identified the unused wastelands and started flower cultivation. This is the success of togetherness. Panchayat could give one month of employment to 250 workers through this project."

MLA IB Satheesh further said, "Actually we started this last year. Last year it was on 10 acres of land. This time it is being done on 26 acres in Pallichal panchayat alone in 13 places. Total of 50 acres of land is being utilised in six panchayats of the Kattakkada assembly constituency. In our constituency, we have a project "Jalasamruthi" to deal with water shortage. We are moving towards "carbon neutral Kattakkada". We have many other projects like the installation of solar panels, and Rambootan fruit farming and we got this idea of flower farming. This is a message we are conveying."

After this flower season, we will start vegetable cultivation here. Farmers of Vilappil Panchayat planning to start sunflower cultivation, he added. Bindu, a worker said, “This place was not fertile. We MGNREGA workers and Kudumbasree workers have made it suitable for cultivation. For so many years it was not used and remained like a forest. Now the landlord is also happy that their land has been utilised. We got employment and now we are going to start vegetable farming also.” Annie Jose, a visitor said that this place was really beautiful and worth visiting with the family.