Thiruvananthapuram: Taking a leaf out of the literacy and People’s Plan programmes, the state secretariat of the CPM has decided to launch a campaign with people’s backing to push the Kerala government’s integrated farming scheme.
The party is of the opinion that fallow land should not be unilaterally or forcefully taken from owners for cultivation. The CPM-led LDF government in Kerala had announced a project to use wasteland for farming in a bid to revitalize the agriculture sector in the state. The CPM and its affiliated organs will join hands to help the state attain self-sufficiency in food.
Party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, through video conference, urged district secretaries to give due importance to the agriculture project and chalk out programmes accordingly. A decision was also taken to restart the Friday state secretariat meetings as such forums were suspended due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown restrictions.
It was earlier decided that all CPM members should start kitchen gardens to boost vegetable farming. As a follow-up to this, the party has resolved to take up the integrated farming project in a big way. The local-self-government bodies are put in the forefront of the project with an eye on the upcoming local body elections.
The land owners should be taken into confidence before starting farming on fallow land. The party secretariat also opined that government wasteland should also be used for agriculture purposes. The various government departments should identify and handover such land for farming. Other political allies should be also be roped in to make this project a success. The CPM also suggested promoting livestock farming and increasing production of milk and eggs.