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 Wayanad
– the "Green Paradise" is one of
the loveliest hill stations of Kerala located
at a distance of about 76 km away from the seashores
of Kozhikode. It lies at a height of 700 to 1800
m above sea level. . It is a small hilly district
(2126 sq. km) situated in southern region of Western
Ghats - a biodiversity "hot spot". The
richness of the plant diversity in this district
is evidenced by the occurrence of more than 2000
species of flowering plants. The district has a
minimum of 200 endemic species of flowering plants,
which are restricted to the southern part of the
Ghats (8º -13º N). The southern half of
the Ghats is rich in both floral and faunal biodiversity.
Wayanad has got 12,000 ha of agricultural land of
which more than 50 % is used for
raising cash crops. Coffee in Wayanad shares 65
per cent of the total area. Other crops grown here
are rice, ginger, turmeric, pepper, coconut, arecanut
and vanilla. Tea is grown in approximately 6800
ha which includes 4800 ha under corporate sector
and 2000 ha under small growers section. Wayanad
wildlife sanctuary is home to many exotic species
of plants and animals. Elephants, Wayanad spotted
deer, bison, tiger, leopard, wild boar etc. can
be spotted here. Chembra peak is the highest peak
in Wayanad with an elevation of 2100 m above MSL.
Pookot lake 3 km south of Vythiri, is a freshwater
lake nestled among wooded hills. It is the only
one of its kind in Kerala. The Edakkal caves located
at 1000m have the New Stone Age pictorial writings,
indicating the evidence of civilization that existed
in this area in the prehistoric times.
This Regional Centre advises the estates located
in the Wayanad district of Kerala on all aspects
from tea cultivation to processing. The laboratory
has equipments to analyse soils. Several experiments
relating to planting, clonal selection, agronomy
and plant protection are being conducted here. The
high yielding clone TRF-1 was identified and evaluated
in the district. The Centre also pays attention
to the interest of small tea growers in Wayanad.
It also advises the tea estates in Coorg. |
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