Published Nov 12, 2022 | 12:17 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 07, 2023 | 10:40 PM
Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad. (Facebook)
What makes Kerala’s Agriculture Minister P Prasad different from his Cabinet colleagues is his affinity for environmental protection and organic farming.
Before becoming minister, he was active in the Narmada Bachao Andolan, led by Medha Patkar, and taught his party, the CPI, the need to support conservation efforts.
After becoming minister, he promoted organic farming on a large scale and even used the compound of his official residence to engage in organic cultivation. He, along with his wife and children, planted many vegetables and organically grew them.
Now, his affinity for organic cultivation is evolving into a matter of contention between the CPI and its alliance partner, the CPI(M).
The Planning Board under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has disapproved of almost all the vision papers prepared by the Agriculture Department. The board has also directed the department to promote scientific cultivation using pesticides instead of “organic fundamentalism”.
Department insiders confirmed that the minister was facing a difficult challenge from CPI(M) fellow-traveller and Planning Board vice-chairman VK Ramachandran, who, as a pro-fertiliser economist, brings together research studies which argue that organic cultivation would not ensure food security.
Though Prasad took up the matter directly with Vijayan, he never got a patient hearing.
The CPI leadership in Kerala seems too weak now, and it avoids any confrontation with Vijayan. So, Prasad has reasons to believe that he is waging a losing battle.
