Kerala agriculture growth doubles national average, says CM Vijayan

The Print

20 hours ago

'In the last financial year, while the agricultural sector at the national level recorded a growth of 2.1 per cent, Kerala achieved a growth of 4.65 per cent. The Agriculture Department implemented several measures aimed at increasing farmers' income by 50 per cent.
He was speaking while inaugurating an online state-level celebration of Farmers' Day and the distribution of state farmer awards.
Thrissur (Kerala), Aug 17 (PTI) Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Sunday that Kerala's agricultural sector is on the path of growth and that the state has achieved more than double the national average growth.
'A short-term agricultural programme named Mission 2026 and a long-term plan called Mission 2033 have been highly supportive in this effort,' the chief minister said on the occasion of the Malayalam New Year, Chingam 1.
The state has also been able to implement a comprehensive crop insurance scheme, Vijayan said.
He noted that during this government's tenure, paddy productivity had increased to 3,108 kg per hectare, while coconut cultivation achieved 54 per cent growth through the Keragramam project. The procurement of coconuts rose from 6.28 lakh tonne to 17.20 lakh tonne, the CM added.
Vijayan said climate change, market uncertainties and wild animal attacks were adversely affecting the agricultural sector.
'To counter climate change and bring changes in value-added production, the state is implementing the KERA Project with World Bank support at a cost of Rs 2,365 crore. The project will directly benefit four lakh farmers and indirectly benefit another 10 lakh farmers,' he said.
The chief minister added that this was the first major World Bank-supported project for the agricultural sector in 40 years.
Vijayan said the agricultural calendar should be adjusted in line with climate change, and the sector should move forward through constructive discussions and innovative farming practices. The government, he said, was looking into combining modern technologies as well.
'More than 150 agritech start-ups have been launched. The government is also making efforts to carry out effective interventions in the value-added products sector. Moving ahead with the goal of branding agricultural value-added products under the motto 'One Krishi Bhavan, One Value-Added Product', over 200 value-added products have been prepared for marketing,' he said.
The chief minister said curbing the menace of wild animals was indeed essential.
'However, this cannot be fully achieved through the intervention of the state government alone. Timely amendments to central laws are required, and for this the state government is putting pressure on the Centre,' he said.
In addition, special projects that can be implemented at the state level have also been designed.
The CM said the government's aim was to combine traditional farming practices with modern agriculture techinques and put them into practice.
State Agriculture Minister P Prasad presided over the function. PTI TGB TGB KH
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