Aralam reaps benefits as jumbos keep off turmeric cultivation
The Hindu
Expected revenue ₹60 lakh; plan to increase crop area
In the wake of increasing incidents of elephants destroying crops inside the Aralam farm bordering the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in the district, the authorities have decided to increase the area for cultivating turmeric and other alternative crops.
The decision was take by the Aralam Farming Corporation Limited following the successful cultivation of turmeric in 25 acres, which was started in May last year. The turmeric is in the harvesting stage and the corporation already had takers for the turmeric, said Bimal Ghosh, managing director of the corporation.
He said that the Regional Agro-Industrial Development Co-operative of Kerala Ltd. (RAIDCO) had approached the corporation to take the processed turmeric. Considering the good potential to market the produce, it had been decided to increase the cultivated area, he said.
In 2011, the Karnataka government announced that five botanical gardens will be developed on the lines of the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru across the State. But according to the latest developments, there will only be four such gardens as the Horticulture Department is most likely to drop the project that was supposed to come up in Chikkaballapura district.