The New Indian Express ·
Lemongrass farming becomes safer choice on Kerala forest fringes
IDUKKI: What do you grow when the forest is your neighbour, wild animals can destroy a harvest overnight, and transporting vegetables to the market costs thousands of rupees? For tribal settlers in the forest-fringe hamlets of Kanthalloor, the answer is becoming increasingly simple — lemongrass.
The fragrant grass is quietly transforming the farmlands of tribal settlements, offering farmers a crop that needs little water and care, can be harvested every three months, and importantly, is less vulnerable to wildlife damage. What began as a small shift has now grown into large-scale cultivation across the settlements.
Nearly 250 acres in Ollavayal Kudi are currently under lemongrass cultivation, said ward member and tribal settler Lakshmanan. Chempatti and Theerthamala settlements have also taken up lemongrass cultivation on nearly 150 acres combined.