At a time when the price of natural rubber declined drastically a few years ago, many a farmer in Wayanad district shifted to more profitable crops such as robusta coffee and black pepper after uprooting rubber trees.
However, Roymon Kavalakkat, an innovative farmer at Pulpally, shifted to mixed crop cultivation with rubber and Roys Selection Coffee, a hybrid variety of arabica coffee developed by himself.
The 47-year-old farmer started the intercropping method on his 10-acre property without uprooting any rubber trees. Though many farmers watched the way of cultivation with doubts, Mr. Roy proved it a great success. Now, others are following the mixed cultivation across the State from Marthandom to Wayanad and various parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
