Call to revamp farm sector

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a state where a large area is prone to soil erosion, the relevance of  sustained watershed management needs no elaboration.  In this connection, a state-level workshop for sensitisation of common guidelines for Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) was held here on Tuesday. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who inaugurated the workshop, said that the Centre has given the nod in principle for the extension of IWMP in the state by a year. Rural Development Minister K C Joseph said that the government decided to do away with the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) in the implementation of schemes taken up by the local bodies, in spite of opposition from some quarters. The government wants to take the local bodies into confidence, he said.  Though the state though blessed with copious rains in two monsoon spells in a year, water conservation measures are not enough, he said.  Presiding over the function, Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan asserted that the farm sector in the state should be revamped through proper coordination among all departments for the effective implementation of various programmes. He said that in areas likes soil conservation and watershed management, proper intervention for increasing efficiency is imperative. Scientific management of natural resources without damaging the environment will lead to increased  agricultural production and productivity, he said.  The unscientific use of land, change in cropping pattern and deforestation due to encroachment have all led to the deterioration of natural wealth. Better  water conservation and rainwater  harvesting methods should be explored.  The environment had suffered due to human interventions in the form of sand mining, filling of wetlands and marshes, conversion of paddylands for commercial and industrial purposes. Groundwater levels also suffer from critical over-exploitation and IWMP is intended to overcome the issues.