Coimbatore :

Irula tribals of Thanikandi hamlet abutting the Western Ghats near Narasipuram in Coimbatore district would soon be tilling large tracts of land for cultivation.

The residents of the village who earn paltry sums as daily wage labourers would now be roped into an agricultural federation under the World Bank funded Pudhu Vaazhvu Thittam through which they would take up cultivation. Coimbatore collector Archana Patnaik visited the hamlet on Tuesday and inspected the land identified for cultivation by the tribals.

“A stretch of 96 acres of forest settlement land has been identified for this purpose. The tribals have rights to enjoy the land but cannot sell it,” said Philips Ilayaraja, district project manager, Pudhu Vaazhvu. There are 64 Irula families in Thanikandi who will benefit from this scheme.

Philips said that some of the tribals in Thanikandi had tried their hand in agriculture two decades ago but dropped it due to various reasons. They started going out as daily wage labourers but the pay was very poor. The traditional means of livelihood, that of selling forest produce, also became difficult and unsustainable due to the increasing incidence of elephant movement in the locality.

“The tribals would commence cultivation once the shrubbery in the identified land is cleared,” Philips said.

This Pudhu Vaazhvu scheme has been extended to Thanikandi after its success when implemented on a pilot basis in Thondamuthur. The scheme was introduced in 13 hamlets comprising 850 families in the block a year ago at a cost of Rs55L. Cultivation has begun in 298 acres of forest land provided to them.

Archana Patnaik visited Saadivayal, one of the villages were tribals have started cultivation and inquired about the progress made regarding the project. The tribal women said they were cultivating brinjal, lady’s finger, onion, paddy and cotton. We are using organic manure only,” one of the women told the collector. The women said that they sell their produce at the Boluvampatti vegetable market.

Patnaik assured the tribals that all support from the government would be provided to them in this venture.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / October 15th, 2014