Thiruvananthapuram/Thrissur: The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA), operating under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, has honored Parappi Amma from the Manithooki Adivasi hamlet in Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram, and E R Vinod from Kottanellur, Vellookkara in Thrissur, with the National Plant Genome Saviour Award. Each of them will receive Rs 1.5 lakh.
Parappi Amma's recognition comes for her preservation of a rare pineapple variety known as "Makkal Valarthi" (Koonthani). Notably, when State Agriculture Minister P. Prasad moved to his official residence, Parappi Amma and her family presented him with a pineapple of this unique variety.
Makkal Valarthi has a big tapering mother fruit at the centre with smaller pineapples stacked around it in a circle. It was the Minister who recommended Parappi Amma’s name for the award.
Vinod is a custodian farmer of the National Bureau of Plant Genetics Resource (NBPGR) functioning under the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), which is a Union government institution. He is working in coordination with the NBPGR’s centre at Vellanikkara.
The awards will be presented at a global symposium that will take place in New Delhi on September 12.
