Mananthavady: Being an MLA, O R Kelu hardly gets time to devote to farming given his busy public life.
But the restrictions on public activities due to the COVID-19 lockdown, which have annoyed many, has come as a blessing in disguise for him. The lockdown has helped me revive my interest in farming, says Kelu, who represents the Mananthavady constituency, in Wayanad, in the state Assembly.
Even though he is involved in coordinating various activities that are intended to fight COVID-19 including arrangement of testing facilities for the virus, he is able to find time for his mixed farming.
Kelu has renovated his old pond to take up pisciculture. He has also built a large coop for poultry. He will soon fill it with the 100 chickens that he has ordered.
Moreover, vegetables in his polyhouse are ready for harvesting. He has grown spinach and yard long beans in his kitchen garden.
Kelu said he intends to also start cattle farming, which he had stopped for a while. He has constructed a new cowshed to revive it.
Engaging in farming on a day-to-day basis had been tough when he was a member of the Thirunelli panchayat and later its president. His schedule became tighter after he became an MLA. But, now, he is happy seeing the bountiful tapioca and plantain crops growing on his premises, all thanks to the lockdown.