Thiruvananthapuram: The mere mention of Kerala was enough to summon images of lush green paddy fields and endless expanses of coconut gardens till the recent past. However, things have changed with the commercial boom and unscientific construction activities, which plundered the God gifted natural bounties like perennial water bodies and fertile patches of land to the core.

 Today, Kerala is now degraded into just a full fledged consumer state, which is at the mercy of its neighbors for anything and everything from vegetables, fruits, rice and even flowers to deck up its brides or to make floral carpets during Onam- the most important festival in this state!

Government is taking steps to promote vegetable, rice and fruit cultivation apart from the production of milk, meat and honey to cater to the requirements of its populace. An exhibition is currently on in Thiruvananthapuram, which showcases an array of mangoes, honey and other useful products. The agriculture minister who inaugurated the exhibition stressed on the significance of equipping the bee farmers of Kerala for producing premium quality honey. The minister said that model farms would be set up for cultivating all types of mangoes under the Agriculture Department and the Agricultural varsity. People would be able to procure good quality mango saplings from Horticorp.

The present day sorry state of affairs in this incredible State is a far cry from its erstwhile self sufficient portrait. Kerala was once a self sufficient state where vegetables were grown in every backyard and the rice bowls of Kuttanad and Palakkad catered to the staple diet of all the Malayalees with ease. However, with increased urbanization, the pressure on land increased, which in turn led to the reclamation of large tracts of fertile and cultivable land for construction purposes. If the current trends are any indication, the day is not far away when there would be severe food shortage.

So, let’s all do our bit to make this wonderful state a land of plenty!