Vellangallur: As temperatures rise and the election season gathers pace, Ramesh Madathingal, an elected member of the Vellangallur panchayat, has turned to snap melon cultivation to bring a sense of relief to the season.

Spread across two acres, his snap melon farm is aimed at promoting refreshing juice preparations that offer respite from the heat. The crop was cultivated on leased land near his residence at Konathukunnu, where the harvest was held the previous day.

A familiar face in the agricultural sector for over 25 years, Ramesh has remained actively engaged in paddy and vegetable farming and has been cultivating snap melon for the past seven years. This season too, his paddy cultivation, spread over five acres, has been successful.

Following the melon harvest, he now plans to shift focus to vegetable farming and later to flower cultivation targeting the Onam market. All his farming activities are carried out on leased land.

In addition to his agricultural pursuits, Ramesh also serves as the Welfare Standing Committee Chairman of the panchayat.