The Hindu 07.01.2015
GCDA draws praise for its green thumb
The agency’s example could be emulated across the State, says M. Leelavathy
The Greater Cochin Development Authority received an eminent admirer on Tuesday whose words of praise the civic agency and its Chairman N. Venugopal could be proud of.
Inaugurating the winter vegetable harvesting held on the GCDA premises, literary critic M. Leelavathy praised the agency’s farming initiative as a culture worth emulating across the State.
“Panchayats should draw up projects to launch farming in fallow land. This will help unemployed youth to find jobs and will give all of us pesticide-free vegetables. It will also help landowners make an earning by leasing out their land,” she observed. The GCDA had grown cabbage and cauliflower on its limited space available in its office campus, which was harvested on Tuesday.
Ms. Leelavathy said that it sent across a message to work on what little land left available for farming. Such initiatives alongside all offices would help spread so much happiness. It will put an end to the consumerist culture of depending on other States during festival seasons like Onam, she said.
Writer K.L. Mohana Varma said that in the fight between food and medicines, such farming initiatives would tilt the balance in favour of food.
Farming
is nothing new to the GCDA as it was the fourth such harvesting event
being celebrated by the agency. The agency had successfully cultivated
paddy, cucumber, besides cabbage and cauliflower over the last one year.
The GCDA is now all set to harvest papaya with 50-odd papayas getting
ripe on its campus. GCDA employees Rajeevan, Salila, and Sindhu who were
behind the agency’s farming initiatives were honoured at the function.
Hibi Eden, MLA, and Opposition Leader in Kochi Corporation K.J. Jacob
were among those present on the occasion.
