Thiruvananthapuram : Minister for Agriculture Development and Farmers Welfare P. Prasad presented a policy document announcing five lakh job opportunities in the agricultural sector at the Vision 2031 agricultural seminar.
A variety of action plans are being planned in Kerala’s agricultural sector, including a Rs 10,000 crore international business , a ten-year Rs 1,000 crore project in collaboration with NABARD to combat wildlife pollution , training of 10,000 youth in advanced technologies including AI in the agricultural sector , and school farms in 1,000 schools.
The Minister inaugurated the Vision 2031 State-level Agriculture Seminar at the Alappuzha SK Convention Center.
The department aims to achieve the following goals : monthly income of Rs. 1 lakh to 1 lakh farmers , 10,000 ‘ Keralagro ‘ products , participation in 50 international business meetings led by CABCO , expansion of ‘ Krishisamrudhi ‘ to 750 panchayats , self-sufficiency in vegetable production , and 1 lakh hectares of agriculture through ‘ Navotthan ‘ .
According to the report of the State Economic Statistics Department, the agriculture sector has achieved a growth of 4.65 percent in the financial year 2023-24 , the minister said in his inaugural speech. This is the highest growth rate achieved by Kerala’s agriculture sector in the last ten years. The fact that the all-India average during this period is only 2.1 percent adds to Kerala’s performance. This achievement was made possible by increasing production and productivity , and strengthening the secondary agriculture sector by emphasizing value-added products. With the public participation in the ‘ We too are going to agriculture ‘ project, 23,568 farming groups were formed. The formation of Kerala Agro Business Company (CABCO) on the CIAL model to promote the secondary agriculture sector has helped in finding global markets for value-added agricultural products, the minister said.
The Agriculture Department is also providing compensation for losses incurred in agriculture due to wild animal encroachment. The department has spent Rs 3 crore from the state scheme allocation to protect agricultural areas. This is the first time this government has made such an inclusion. The minister said that digital technology has also been utilized with the help of startups in the sector to effectively prevent wild animal encroachment.
‘ Keralagro ‘ as new energy
The policy document stated that for the first time in India, agricultural value-added products have been branded under the government’s initiative. Four thousand products have been made available under the objective of ‘One Krishi Bhavan, One Value-Added Product’. The minister said that the provision of a common brand ‘Keralagro’ for one thousand products and the opening of ‘Keralagro branded showrooms’ in all districts have given energy to the value-added sector. Eighty smart Krishi Bhavans, which provide all the services required by farmers with the help of digital technology, are in various stages of completion. He said that with the effective utilization of ‘Kathir’ software, mobile app, Agristack system and e-office system, which help in making agricultural services available to farmers on an IT-based basis, Kerala is becoming one of the first states in the country to effectively use digital technology.
‘Krishi Samriddhi’, a scheme that completely ensures the economic, social and technical welfare of the farmer, has been launched in 107 local bodies; this financial year it is being expanded to 393. The minister also said that three lakh employment opportunities are targeted through this. With the widespread mplementation of the ‘Fruit Cluster’ scheme in fruit farming, farmers have been able to bring foreign fruits to the market. Farmers in Kerala have also started actively participating in flower farming. 6,343 tonnes of flowers from 724 hectares reached the market last Onam. The minister also said that more than 150 agri-tech startups are supporting entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector.
H Salam MLA presided over the function. PP Chittaranjan MLA, District Panchayat President KG Rajeshwari, Agricultural Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary Dr. B Ashok Kumar, District Panchayat Vice President NS Sivaprasad, Ambalapuzha Block Panchayat President Sheeba Rakesh, District Panchayat Standing Committee Chairperson Binu Isaac Raju , KLDC Chairman PV Satyanesan, Senior Farmer KM Chellappan, Agriculture Department Additional Secretary V Vigneswari, Agriculture Director Sriram Venkitaraman, District Principal Agriculture Officer C Ambili, subject matter experts in the agricultural sector, farmers from various districts, other public representatives, officials, etc. were present.
