A tribal farmer from Vithura in the district has won the 2020-21 Plant Genome Saviour Farmers Recognition award for the conservation of a special variety of pineapple.
The woman farmer, Parappi of Kunnumpurathu House, Padinjattinkara, Manithooki tribal settlement, won the award instituted by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority under the Union Ministry of Agriculture.
She won national recognition fo her efforts to grow and conserve the ‘Makkal Thookki’ variety of pineapple. This variety is also called ‘Koonthani,’ the State Agriculture Department said.
Ms. Parappi and her family members had presented the pineapple to Agriculture Minister P. Prasad on the day he moved into his official residence in Thiruvananthapuram. Noting its special features, the Minister had asked department officials to file the application for the award.
The news of the award reached Ms. Parappi on August 9, observed worldwide as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The award carried a cash prize of ₹ 1.5 lakh, citation and a plaque. It will be presented to her on September 23 in New Delhi.
Parappi’s son Gangadharan Kani is a forester with the Kerala Forest Department. Principal Information Officer (Farm Information Bureau) Asha S. Kumar and Divisional Forest officer Pradeep Kumar felicitated Parappi on Wednesday.
