Muvattupuzha: After lying idle for years, the polyhouse at the EEC market in Muvattupuzha has finally come back to life, revived by a group of farmers who stepped in to restore it and restart cultivation.

KK Lekha, secretary of the EEC market, said the latest cycle produced a healthy harvest of long beans and cucumbers. The polyhouse, built on a fallow plot inside the market in 2017, was created as a model project under the State Horticorp Mission to promote modern farming techniques. The Kerala Agro Industries Corporation constructed the facility.

Initially, farming was carried out under the supervision of EEC market officials, but repeated crop failures led to financial losses. As harvests began drying up and plants were damaged, the polyhouse was rented out for farming. However, due to poor upkeep and irregular maintenance, the facility gradually deteriorated and became unsuitable for cultivation.

Though several attempts were made to revive it through repair and maintenance, the polyhouse remained idle for years. It was only recently that a collective of farmers, comprising Eldhose N Paul, P B Anoop and Sarja Moosa, took the initiative to renovate the structure and restart cultivation.