THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ambitious ‘Jaivasree Festival 2011’ under the aegis of Janasree Sustainable Development Mission, in association with various government organisations and NGO’s, was set in motion on the Kanakakunnu Palace Grounds here on Friday, heralding a concerted drive to augment the attempts of the state to go in for total organic cultivation within a short period. With the theme of `Safe and Toxin-Free Food and Consumer Rights in Kerala’, the five-day event was kicked off with a national seminar and an exhibition on `Safe Food Save Life’.Inaugurating the exhibition,Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan said that the UDF Government was committed to bettering the lives of farmers and ensuring a poisonfree environment and food for all. Only through organic farming and widespread use of organic products can the society think of a healthy life for the present and future,he observed.He said that the mission of the government had been made clear by declaring the worsthit Kasargod itself as the first organic district of the state.He said that the government was also keen to pursue contract farming in the state, for which, the Central Agriculture Minister had given the go ahead for a Rs 50-crore project.“The intention of the State Government is to help the farmers who are not able to take up cultivation for various reasons even while holding tracts of land,” he said. The Minister said that the allegation levelled by a few quarters that contract farming was meant for multinationals was indeed a shame. “A number of initiatives like protecting the kole fields from Ponnani to Thrissur and follow up steps for the Rs 750-crore Kuttanad package should be looked into,” he added.Presiding over the function, Janasree Mission chairman M M Hassan said that the festival and exhibition was the culmination of a long drive to ensure sustainable development in the state for which, the Mission had taken up a Yatra and criss-crossed the state to create awareness at grassroot levels. Along with it, cultivation of organic produces was also promoted by the Janasree units across the state.“Organisations such as Janasree alone cannot achieve a mission to facilitate poison-free food for the state. The government and other organisations should also join hands and within 3-4 years,the state would come out of the warp in which it has fallen into with the rampant use of consumables having toxic residues from outside states and the fast food culture. The ethnic food court laid in the ongoing exhibition will drive home a clear message”, he hoped.K Muraleedharan MLA, Mayor K Chandrika and Nabard chief general manager K C Sashidhar, Mission secretary Dr B S Balachandran and others spoke. The exhibition with free entry will conclude on Tuesday.
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