Says he developed interest in cultivation since school days

Minister for Agriculture R. Kamalakannan has taken time off from the hurly-burly of political life to engage in his family vocation — agriculture.

On Sunday, the Minister, on a weekend tour of his Tirunallar constituency in Karaikal, an exclave of the Union Territory, spent two hours on his paddy field along with farm workers, to raise “thaladi” crop.

“It is a passion that I have developed since I was in my seventh standard. My father was a teacher and he used to engage me to distribute salary to farm workers. I used to go with workers to buy fertilisers. The time that I spent with workers and on the paddy field kindled an interest in farming,” he said.

It’s in the DNA

Mr. Kamalakannan said he might have inherited interest in farming from his grandparents who were agriculturists.

“Even after venturing into politics, I have found time to personally involve in farming. But after joining the Ministry I have hardly any time left left for farming because of the tight schedule,” the Minister said. The Minister said he was forced to take a break from his Ministerial assignments on Sunday as he was not satisfied with the yield from Kuruvai crop. For the “Kuruvai” crop, the field was not prepared properly for sowing and hence the yield had come down.

“So, I thought I will assist the workers and personally get involved in the work. I always try to keep abreast of the latest technology and advancements in farming,” he said.

The Union Territory over the years had witnessed a dip in paddy cultivation. Rice, which was abundant once and was even procured by the Food Corporation of India from various places here in 1970s, was now purchased from elsewhere.

Mr. Kamalakannan said the Congress government had taken several steps to improve farming activity and farm output.

About 10,000 hectares of paddy field were under cultivation in Karaikal and Puducherry regions.

The government had taken a keen interest in organic farming. But it would be left to farmers to choose the medium

L-G’s comment

A photograph of the Minister ploughing and planting seedlings had gone viral on the social media after it was posted on his Facebook page. The Minister’s initiative caught the attention of Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi who remarked on social media that “he (Kamalakannan) was the right person with the right responsibility.”