t is after several decades that the fields of Karumalloor in Manakkappady, near Kochi, are celebrating the harvest of a substantial quantity of sesame seeds. The seeds go into the making of delicious snacks like sesame laddus and sesame oil, which is used in pickles and in burning lamps.Over the years, sesame cultivation had gone down despite the fact that the crop does not need much water. It is a crop that can be grown in the dry season, increasing the yield from the limited extent of farm land available in the State, according to farmer Laiju K.M. of Karumalloor. Members of the Kisan Service Society, comprising young and enterprising farmers, under the local unit ‘Sopanam’ took up the cultivation under the guidance of the Ernakulam Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). The harvest turned into a celebration of the return of a “lost” crop to the fields of Karumalloor, said Mr. Laiju. A senior official of the ICAR-KVK said sesame used to be a prominent crop during the dry season in several parts of Ernakulam district about three decades ago. Rediscovering the crop again will help increase farmers’ income substantially because there is great demand both for snacks made out of the seeds as well as the oil. Most of the sesame oil sold in the State, it is alleged, is adulterated and harmful to health. With the cost of paddy cultivation increasing substantially, farmers are turning to alternative crops to augment their income. Sesame was a promising crop for the future, added the official. The KVK has utilised funds from the Union ministry to buy an expeller unit to help the farmers extract oil, which will fetch them a remunerative price.Mr. Laiju said the cultivation was carried out in an organic manner in the field owned by Vyazhaparambu Mana in Ward 4 of Karumalloor panchayat.