ABSTRACT
Popularly known as the granary of former Travancore State, Kanyakumari District, is famous for its vast stretches of paddy fields and rich forests. Crops like tea, coffee rubber, coconut, cocoa, pineapple, cloves and pepper are cultivated in high level lands. Coconut, arecanut, paddy and banana are grown in low level lands and coconut, banana, tapioca, groundnut and vegetables are cultivated in the mid lands. In orchards, mango, cashew and jack are the important fruit bearing trees raised. Horticulture is one of the main branches of agriculture. Originally it meant specifically the cultivation of garden. Plants such as flowers, vegetables, fruits and ornamentals that were grown in gardens which acquired the name ‘horicultural plants’. The important horticultural crops are banana, mango, jack, guava lime, pineapple, orange, tapioca, sweet potato, yam, onion, brinjal, bendi, cabbage, vegetables, greens, cashewnut, cardamom, ginger, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, chilies, turmeric, tamarind, cocoa, cashew, coffee, tea, rubber, betel vine and flowers.
Introduction
Popularly known as the granary of former Travancore State, Kanyakumari District, is famous for its vast stretches of paddy fields and rich forests. There are three main soil groups in this region. Laterite types of soil available in the blocks of Thiruvattar, Munchirai, Kurunthencode, Rajakkamangalam, Killiyoor, Thuckalay and Melpuram. Mixed types of red and alluvial soil available in Agasteeswaram and Thovalai blocks. Soils are mostly red loam and laterite in nature, with coastal alluvium in the southern side. The lateritic and red loam soils are poor to medium in fertility, while the coastal alluvium is high in fertility. The soils are sandy to sandy loam in texture. In major part of kalkulam and Vilavancode taluks, Lime status is “Nil” due to the occurrence of more area under acid condition. The high acidity prevalent in Kanyakumari District is mainly due to the heavy rainfall and heavy leading of bases in the hilly areas.
Crops like tea, coffee, rubber, coconut, cocoa, pineapple, cloves and pepper are cultivated in high level lands. Coconut, arecanut, paddy and banana are grown in low level lands and coconut, banana, tapioca, groundnut and vegetables are cultivated in the mid lands. In orchards, mango, cashew and jack are the important fruit bearing trees raised. Yield is quite appreciable in high level, low lands and mid lands, if monsoon sets in at the appropriate time. Since Kanyakumari is gifted with rich forests, seasonal rains are regular and so scarcity of water for irrigation is not normally felt. The important food crops, commercial crops, oil seeds and others are paddy, cholam, spices, sugarcane, mangoes, bananas, fruits and vegetables including root crops, groundnut and coconut.
Horticulture
Horticulture is one of the main branches of agriculture. Originally it meant specifically the cultivation of garden. Plants such as flowers, vegetables, fruits and ornamentals that are grown in gardens acquired the name ‘horiculture plants’. The present meaning of horticultural includes not only the growing of plants in gardens for pleasure or for profit, but the large scale production of vegetables, fruits, flowers and ornamentation fields. It also includes many services, which are ancillary to the production and marketing of the plants and crops.
Kanyakumari enjoys both tropical as well as subtropical climatic conditions prevailing in the eastern and southern coastal regions and to some extent in the western coastal region and also the land is more or less plain and enjoys tropical climate. The climatic condition prevalent in the hill area of this region is predominantly subtropical leading itself quite favourable for cultivation of scores of horticultural crops like subtropical and tropical fruit kinds, spices and plantation crops. In these areas paddy, banana, tuber crops and vegetables are mainly grown.
The total geographical area of Kanyakumari is 1.67 lakhs hectares of which an extent of 0.8 lakh hectares is covered under cultivation of various crops as per the 1984-1985 statistical data. Area under horticultural crops of all kinds in this region is 0.35 lakh hectare which accounts for 47.5 percent of the total area cultivated. The important horticultural crops are banana, mango, jack, guava, lime, pineapple, orange, tapioca, sweet potato, yam, onion, brinjal, bendi, cabbage, vegetables, greens, cashew nut, cardamom, ginger, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, chilies, turmeric, tamarind, cocoa, cashew, coffee, tea, rubber, betel vine and flowers.
HORICULTURAL FARMS
Government Fruit Farm, Kanyakumari
The farm situated in Kundal Village near Kanyakumari on the N.H. 47 road was established in 1922 by Sreemoolam Thirunal Maharaja of Travancore. At the merger of the present Kanyakumari District with Tamil Nadu, the maintenance of the farm has been entrusted to the State Agricultural Department. In view of the special phenomenon of off season bearing in mango, under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (I.C.A.R) auspices, research was carried out from 1960 to 1969. In order to facilitate research activities, an additional area of 5.69 hectare of land was added to the farm in 1964 by purchasing the adjoining land from private land holders. Until 1969, the farm was maintained by the composite Agriculture Department ot serve as a model farm as well as a nursery centre for production of fruit plants of various kinds.
In September 1979, the farm came under the newly formed department of Horticulture. The propagation activities had been stepped up year after year. This farm is the main source of supply of pedigree plants of different fruit kinds, for the centrally existed Western Ghats scheme for the development of sub-tropical fruits and spices. Though this farm is situated in an area of considerably low rainfall, through effective management the annual profit of the farm increased from Rs. 0.20 lakh in 1981-82 to Rs. 3.06 lakhs in 1985-86. Annually the farm distributes 1.25 lakhs of plants including 60,000 mango grafts.
Pineapple Nursery – Pechipparai
Pineapple Nursery Pechipparai farm was started in 1975 in Pechipparai village in an area of 9.8 hectare of forest land (taken as long lease) and is situated adjoining the irrigation channel of Pechipparai dam. Except roads and pathways, the entire area is covered with pineapple for distribution and expansion of area under this variety which is very well suited for industrial purpose. Annually, on an average, 1.5 lakhs suckers are produced and distributed to the growers, through Hill Area Development Scheme.
Since the farm is maintained under rainfall condition the sucker production is subject to the vagaries of the rainfall. The failure of monsoon from 1982 to 1986 curtailed the production of suckers. During the financial year 1985-86, the expenditure was Rs. 0.96 lakh, while the revenue was Rs. 0.83 lakh only. It has been proposed to improve irrigation facilities and also to produce and distribute 1.0 lakh suckers annually. Pineapple fruits produced in this farm are sold to the Kanyakumari Fruit Co-operative Society (KANDAFCO) at Marthandam for canning. To step up the revenue of the farm black pepper vines have been twined ove the forest trees.
Pepper Nursery, Pechipparai
Pepper nursery, which was established in 1967 was made permanent in 1981. The total area of the farm is 6 hectares and it is situated on the road from Pechipparai to Kothayar dam near ‘O’ point. The farm is situated in the forest land. An ara of 5.6 hectares is under pepper, clove and nutmeg cultivation apart from the nursery. There is an open well for irrigation. The farm production is fixed at annually two lakhs pepper plants of the variety ‘Lopttanadan’ for distribution to growers of this district and in other parts of Tamil Nadu through Hill Area Development Schemes. In the same town, schemes for hybrid pepper development (Panniyur-I) is also implemented on an area of 3 hectares through which 1.0 lakh rooted cuttings of Panniyur-I pepper and 10,000 clove seedlings are produced annually for distribution to growers.
– Dr. H. Santhosakumari
Assistant Professor of History, Scott Christian College (Autonomous), Nagercoil.
References
1. Report of Join Director of Agriculture on Agriculture in Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, dated 09.07.1987.
2. Report of Agricultural Statistics, Kanyakumari District, 1979.
3. Report of Director of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Dharmapuri, dated 02.09.1986.
4. Report of Joint Director of Agriculture, Nagercoil.