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| Victorious Strides on an Innovative Development Track - 5 |
Kudumbashree Kadali -Offerings to Lord Krishna
Guruvayur Sreekrishna Temple. One of the famous Hindu pilgrim centre which is visited by more than three crore devotees every year. Varied are the offerings they make to the Lord Krishna whom they affectionately call Kannan. Of all that they give to him is the offering of Pazham – Panchasara (plantain and sugar) which pleases him most, they believe. The plantain must be the real Kadali variety. Thousands of them are required for this offerings every day. During the pilgrimage season it goes up to 12,000 daily. Four thousand is the least minimum. For the last four and a half years the plantains required for offerings are supplied to Guruvayur Devaswom (Temple Management Authority) by the women farmers of Kudumbashree!
It was Thrissur District Mission which took up this contract including it in the statewide project of Kudumbashree, namely Samagra. The project was named ‘Nivedyam’(offering to the god) and the product is ‘Poojakkadali’(the sweet plantain used for temple offerings.)
This mission was set a-going in June 2009. Today 165 women in 33 groups are engaged with Kadali plantain cultivation. It is carried on in every panchayath of Pudukkad legislative constituency except Muriyad. Still these women farmers find it difficult to supply according to the demand of the Temple. They have given up to 8000 plantains on one day itself. But the production is not enough to meet the requirement. The District Mission Officer T. R. Maya says that it has been decided to extend the cultivation to more places.
Not an Easy Task
To produce Kadali plantains on a large scale is a real challenge to the NHGs. Challenges are many. Getting saplings is the first problem. The same land cannot be cultivated for more than three times. Harvesting can be done only after eleven months. Planting must be made every month; then only supply can go on non-stop. Climate must also be kind to them.
It is three rupees for one plantain. But the minimum weight must be forty grams per plantain. In spite of all these challenges, says Project Officer Mr. Adarsh, six thousand plantains are supplied daily; that means plantains for Rs. 18000 per day and the monthly turnover is Rs.540000.
During seasons of greater demand like Sabarimala season, merchants come with offers of greater profit that tempt the plantain farmers.
Yet, says Mattathoor CDS Chairperson Ratnam Aravind, that everybody makes a sincere attempt to see to it that there is no failure in the supply of Kadali to Gurvayur temple.
Sashi’s Kadaly van
The cultivation of Kadali is done in various villages. The District Mission carries out the collection of plantains and the amount distribution to the farmers in co-operation with branches of seven local Co-operative banks.
Driver Mr. Sasi comes with his vehicle every Tuesday. Bunches of Kadali fruits will be kept in heaps beside every bank. The name of the member of the NHG and the number of plantains will be written on a piece of paper and tagged on the plantain bunch. It will be recorded like “Mary Jose - 90, Aiswarya Chandrika – 130, Sheela Govindan 120 etc. The number will be checked with the bank book entries before loading on the vehicle. The first load will be from Mandarappally to be followed by the loads from Mattathoor, Nooluvally, Chembuchira, Moonumuri, Kodali, Amballoor, Pazhayi and Thrikkoor and with the loads the vehicle will proceed to Guruvayoor. On some days there will have to be two trips.
The temple administration has allotted space to Kudumbashree in Guruvayur. Kudumbashree people are there to get the plantains ripe, arrange them in trays and to hand over to the Devaswam purchase officer.
The District Mission Officer T. R. Maya said that Kudumbashree entered into the agreement for the plantain supply with Guruvayur Devaswam at a time when Kadali plantains were bought from other states. Technical aid for plantain cultivation is given by the Kerala Agricultural University and Kannara BRC. There are plans to extend the cultivation as well as to manufacture medicines and food products from the ripe plantains rejected by the temple because of the lack of the required weight; such products are supposed to be very nourishing for children. There are also plans to make products from the plantain tree fiber.
Palakkad’s own ‘ Kondattam’
Kondattam means dried salted items, mostly vegetables prepared for frying. Kondattam preparation project was designed by Kudumbashree under its Samagra scheme for Palakkad district with Kalppathi streets and Agraharams (residential hamlets of Tamil Brahmins.) Kondattam is the indigenous product which has been ousted by the different modern varities of ‘Fryums’, ‘Cheetos’, ‘Lays’ etc. It was the Brahmins of Palakkad who stood in the forefront in the making of different varieties of the traditional ‘Kondattam.’ Thirty varieties are still there in use.
The goal of this mission was to find self-employment and means of income for women including those who were experts in making the traditional Kondattam. Now there are forty-two ladies in five clusters. They are mostly in Kottayi village.
There are 21 traditional varieties of Kondattam, some of which are made from locally available things. But today Kondattam from rice flour, chilly, and some varieties of beans are produced in large quantities, Kudumbashree district missiom officer Mr. P. Unnikrishnan said.
Pineapple Sweet Maradi
‘Thirumadhuram’ is the Samagra project implemented by Kudumbashree in Ernakulam district which the largest pineapple producing of Kerala. Two units which manufacture pineapple products like jam, squash etc are in work in Maradi and Mahuvannoor. Mrs. Shantha the CDS Chairperson and a member of ‘Thirumadhuram’ unit says that fifty-four kiosks have been opened in Idukki and Kottayam districts to market their products, branded as Pineshree.
The Samagra project of Kozhikode is entirely different. It is the manufacture of VKC footwear upper that Kudumbashree has taken up here. About three hundred women work in this unit and earn their means of living.
The Samagra (means integrated) projects co-ordinate different activities from production to marketing as well as the assistance and aid of various departments. There are 12 Samagra projects in 11 districts. When more women began to come into the goat village and Ksheerasagara Milk supply project, they also were included in the Samagra scheme and spread in to all districts of Kerala.
Today around forty thousand women work under these Samagra projects alone all over the state.
From Honey to Cashew nuts
The Samagra Projects under Kudumbashree in various districts
| District |
Project |
Product |
| Thiruvananthapuram |
Nenthran |
Banana |
| Pathanamthitta |
Madhuram |
Honey |
| Alappuzha |
Marari Mushroom |
Mushroom |
| Kottaym |
Ornamental Fish Breeding |
Fish |
| Idukki |
Poomala Nature Fresh Egg,Ksheerasagarm |
Milk, egg |
| Ernakulam |
Thirumadhuram |
Pineapple |
| Thrissur |
Nivedyam |
Poojakkadali |
| Palaghat |
Kondattom |
Kondattom |
| Kozhkode |
VKC footwear upper |
Footwear upper |
| Kannur |
Goat village |
Goat, milk, dung |
| Kasargod |
Saphalam |
Cashew nut |
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