Here’s why Malayalam movie stars are donning the hats of farmers, not on screen, but in real life

Now-a-days, Mollywood celebrities choose to hop off from the shooting sets straight to the farmlands to plough their paddy fields and manure vegetable and fruit crops.

Mega stars like Mammootty, Sreenivasan, Kunchakko Boban and Salim Kumar and Director Sathyan Anthikkad are taking to organic farming in a big way, driven by their passion to promote pesticide-free vegetables and fruits and thereby protect public health. They are not only spending money on organic cultivation, but also actively taking part in farming operations amid their busy shooting schedule.

While Mammootty joined farmers for ploughing his 17-acre paddy field in Muhamma recently, Sreenivasan harvested rice from his two- and-half acre field on the outskirts of Kochi and vegetables from the garden adjacent to his house there.

Mammootty’s visit to his farm near Kumarakom drew a large crowd. The actor said he wants to follow the zero budget natural farming method in which no chemical pesticides are used and organic manure and traditional means like earthworm compost are applied for better output.

Young actor Kunchakko Boban is planning to set up an organic farm to cultivate pesticide-free and quality-rich vegetables and fruits.

“The interest for farming catching up among matinee idols would help attract more people to farming and give a boost to agriculture sector in the state. Large number of people, especially youngsters, will be influenced by such humble initiatives. It will also send out a message that farming is a serious and dignified affair,” said an official of the State Agriculture Department.

From rice to vegetables, fruits to poultry, milk to meat, Kerala depends on neihbouring states for articles of daily consumption. These vegetables and fruits are marinated in deadly synthetic pesticides, while meat, milk and eggs are awash with veterinary drugs and hormones.

Laboratory tests have come out with disturbing findings about the rate of adulteration that Keralites have to deal with. The Estimates Committee of the Assembly, in its report, has given a long list of items that are subject to adulteration that include milk, chilly powder, coconut oil, meat, vegetables, fruits, salt, fish, bananas, fast food, ice-cream, chocolates and mineral water, among others.

Though Kerala is known as the land of coconut, adulterated coconut oil flows freely from Tamil Nadu into Kerala. According to reports, Tamil Nadu based oil mafia smuggles thousands of litres of adulterated oil into Kerala.

It is reported that even rice made of plastic is being sold in many parts of the state. The ‘rice’ is supposedly made in China by mixing potatoes, sweet potatoes and plastic. The potatoes are first formed into the shape of rice grains. Industrial synthetic resins are then added to the mix. It is also found to be having high amount of Chinese polymer.

Officers from the Kerala Agriculture Department who visited the farmlands in Tamil Nadu found that the farmers are extensively using residual pesticides like methyl perathione, furadan and monocrotophus which are banned for use on vegetables and fruits and which remain in the crop for 45 days after spraying.

Antibiotic-fed poultry finding its way to Kerala is another great health hazard. Poultry is fed with antibiotics to promote their growth and make them fat without actually feeding them much. The residues of these antibiotics are being transmitted to humans on consumption. According to a study, large scale and indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the poultry industry has led to antibiotic resistance in Keralites and consequently they are falling prey to many ailments like cancer.

Better late than never. Kerala is now witnessing a silent revolution on the farm lands and rooftops. As people are turning more and more health conscious and keeping a tab on their diet, they are on the lookout for poison-free fresh vegetables and fruits. Organic cultivation is turning into a rage among the middle classes.
Hundreds of families in the state have converted terraced roofs into micro farms, where they grow organic vegetables and fruits. `Organic’ is the new catchword in Kerala homes.

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