Farm visit near Pochampalli Town, Tamil Nadu

When he came to know of my visit to Salem this week, Mr Selva Murali of Visual Media Technologies invited me to visit his hometown Pochampalli, near Krishnagiri. He enticed me by offering to show me, a city boy, to visit his organic farmlands, taste the native produce and enjoy the scenic views of the lake & greenery around. I readily agreed. I was expecting a small town, but I was surprised to find a buzzing township with several shops, eateries, and even industries nearby. From Salem, it is a two-hour drive-by National Highway 44 (new number) towards Krishnagiri, you need to take a right turn at Kariamangalam which comes after Dharmapuri, then crossing Agaram, Veeramalai to reach Pochampalli (போச்சம்பள்ளி). The roads, even the Tamil Nadu State Highway 862 (Krishnagiri to Pochampalli) was in good condition and was comfortable to drive.

Note: The Pochampalli town in Tamil Nadu I visited is not the same as the one famous for its sarees, which will be Bhoodan Pochampally in Telangana State.

National Highway 44 near Dharmapuri

Venkatarangan standing in the road bridge over Then Pennai River near Agaram check dam in Kariamangalam to Pochampalli Road

View of Then Pennai River near Agaram check dam [தென்பெண்ணை ஆறு, அகரம் தடுப்பு அணை அருகில்]

Do you remember these numbered markings of trees on the sides of highways?

Venkatarangan posing in front of a farm on the sides of the Karimangalam to Pochampalli Road near Pachiganapalli (பசிகனபள்ளி)

Venkatarangan posing in front of a farm growing lovely papaya on the sides of the Karimangalam to Pochampalli Road

Selva says the town has experienced unprecedented economic growth in the last few years due to the arrival of various industries like the new Ola Future Factory which manufacturers Electric Scooter in an all-women, export unit manufacturing shoes for Adidas and others. The government of Tamil Nadu has developed the area by constructing the SIPCOT Industrial SEZ complex at Bargur & Pochampalli which houses the two factories mentioned in the last line, a Primary Processing Centre (for farm produce) by TNSCM, and an upcoming Mega Food Park. Because of these, the price of farmlands in the region has increased multi-fold, so have the rentals for houses and shops.

The weekly market (சந்தை) that happens next door to the Pochampalli bus stand is one of the largest in the state. The market sees vendors starting from vegetables, fruits, cattle, chicken to household items. It is probably the only market in South India where goldsmiths put up shop and custom make jewellery on the spot. The market has a custom whereby the buyers can pay the sellers after a week of purchase, an interest-free credit system that is based on mutual trust and local community assurances. Selva treated us to a delicious Athimaturam Tea made with liquorice and palm sugar (அதிமதுரம் பணகற்கண்டு டீ) at TN-01 Chai Chai Tea stall, the tea is believed to have medicinal benefits for digestion, breathing and blood sugar levels.

The Pochampalli Town

(From Left) Venkatarangan Thirumalai, Selva Murali and Ravi Ethirajulu in front of Visual Media Technologies, Pochampalli, Tamil Nadu

Pictures of the OLA Future Factory at the SIPCOT Industrial SEZ complex at Bargur & Pochampalli, Tamil Nadu. You see rows of cars parked of employees working inside.

Primary Processing Centre (for farm produce) by TNSCM

Next door to the Pochampalli bus stand (picture above), one of the largest weekly markets (சந்தை) in the state happens.

“(from bottom left clockwise) Venkatarangan, Selva, Dr Balaji Kanagasabai and Tirupathi Thiru waiting for our delicious Athimaturam Tea made with liquorice (அதிமதுரம் பணகற்கண்டு டீ) at TN-01 Chai Chai Teastall at State Highway 60 (Dharmapuri to Tirupattur Road)

Next on the agenda was a visit to the organic paddy farm managed by Selva and a coconut farm owned by a local farmer. The farmer Thiru Tharani Dharan, a friend of Selva was kind to show us around and offer us the sweetest tender coconuts that I have tasted, freshly plucked from the trees above. While there, in a nearby farm we could spot several local women who are assigned by the panchayat to work in the farms under the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) program, they are said to be paid INR 125-175 for a day’s work – a couple of them had come in their two-wheelers which were parked on the roadside, owning two-wheelers (may have been purchased from a recent Tamil Nadu Government scheme) is an indicator to their overall family income.

Selva gifted us with a kilo of three of the rice varieties grown locally and sold online through Agrisakthi online. The three varieties (picture below) were:

• Forbidden Black Rice (கருப்பு கவுனி அரிசி) which is good for your liver’s health and suitable for preparing Jaggery Pongal,
• the red coloured Women’s Rice or Poongar Rice (பூங்கார் அரிசி) which is rich with Vitamin B1 and is used to make tasty Idli and Dosa batter and for making sweets,
• the brown coloured Karunguruvai Rice (கருங்குறுவை அரிசி) gives overall body strength and is used for preparing steamed rice and in traditional medicines.

Canal water fed farm growing organic paddy variety Forbidden Black Rice (கருப்பு கவுனி அரிசி)

Venkatarangan walking on the ridge of the paddy farm

This canal brings water to the nearby fields from the Barur Lake

(From top left, clockwise) Red coloured is Women’s Rice or Poongar Rice (பூங்கார் அரிசி), Brown coloured is Karunguruvai Rice (கருங்குறுவை அரிசி) and the last is the Forbidden Black Rice (கருப்பு கவுனி அரிசி)

The farm labourers swiftly climbed the coconut tree with just a rope for his legs, brought down the ripe coconuts and cut it open for us to enjoy.

My wide smile in the picture is the true indication of how sweet the tender coconut water I was having tasted. Divine. Freshly plucked from the trees. Ripe, tender, sweet and juicy.

Coconut farm in Pochampalli

The local women who are sent by the panchayat to work in the farms under the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) program

The last place we visited was the Barur Big Lake (பாரூர் பெரிய ஏரி) which is one of the largest in the region and was built in 1887 and is the water source for about 1600 acres of field. Since it has been only a few weeks after record rains in the region, the lake was brimming with water. There was lush greenery everywhere.

The full water level at Barur Lake (பாரூர் பெரிய ஏரி)

There is a wide pathway on the banks of Barur Lake (பாரூர் பெரிய ஏரி) for walking and to enjoy the sunrise/sunset.

Barur Tank near Krishnagiri was built in 1887 as is fed by the Thenpennai River

The banks of the Barur Big Tank

One of the many canals carrying water from the Barur big lake to the fields

A farming family can be seen drying (காயவைப்பது) and winnowing (சலித்தல்) their harvested paddy (நெல்) in the flat plot provided by the local panchayat on rent for the purpose