Cops to grow more vegetables

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: These days, vegetable patches in urban areas are not a strange sight at all. But what if the ‘farmland’ happens to be the State Police headquarters? The Police HQ at Vellayambalam in the capital city is getting ready to launch a ‘model vegetable farm’ by the end of September.  Under the guidance of the State Horticulture Mission, vegetable saplings of various kinds will be supplied to the headquarters to adorn the surroundings with a green look. Some nine varieties of vegetables like brinjal, green chilli, bean, bitter gourd, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach and lady’s finger will be supplied to the headquarters to grow. The project will be implemented in such a manner that the vegetable saplings grown inside low-density poly-ethylene ‘grow bags’ designed for roof-top farming will be supplied to the police headquarters, said Melvin Jose, Technical Officer, State Horticulture Mission. ‘’The bags have a lifespan of up to three years such that they will not crack or tear due to exposure to sunlight. A set of 50 bags is being readied to supply for the police headquarters,’’ he said. The bags can be reused by refilling it, he added. The plants will be grown using organic manure like vermicompost and cow dung. The Mission authorities say that it was after receiving enthusiastic support from the policemen that they initiated the venture to provide them with plant saplings. The saplings from the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council, Keralam (VFPCK) and other agencies will be supplied through the Horticulture Mission to the police headquarters. The farm to be set up on the premises is part of the ‘Pachakkari Samridhi Nadinum Nagarathinum’ project which was launched in August. The Council is rearing six lakh saplings to be supplied as part of the project. The police headquarters had already harvested cauliflowers and cabbages earlier this year and is expecting a prestigious harvest of maize cultivated on a patch of land on the premises.