Kerala's farm success under study by Supreme Court panel
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Chandigarh: In a significant step towards agricultural transformation, the High-Powered Committee on Agrarian Reforms covened a meeting on Thursday to study and deliberate on the best practices adopted by the Kerala govt for making agriculture a sustainable and profitable enterprise.
The high-powered committee, chaired by former judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court justice Nawab Singh, was constituted by a bench of the Supreme Court of India to recommend comprehensive reforms in the agrarian sector with the aim of improving farmers' welfare.
Kerala agriculture minister S P Prasad elaborated on Kerala's strategic approach towards agrarian welfare. He highlighted landmark initiatives, including Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) support programmes, paddy procurement policies ensuring MSP for farmers, Kerala State Farmers Debt Relief Commission – providing relief to debt-burdened farmers, State Crop Insurance Scheme tailored to local conditions, natural calamity relief mechanisms, Karshaka Pension Scheme to provide social security to aged farmers, and promotion of organic and natural farming.
The officers of the Kerala agriculture department delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining these and other pioneering efforts that have transformed Kerala's agricultural landscape.
The discussions centred around key issues such as increasing farmers' income, reducing agrarian distress, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of agriculture. The Kerala delegation shared valuable insights into the initiatives that have positively impacted the farming community in their state.
The meeting was attended by prominent members of the committee and dignitaries, including Raja Shekhar Vundru, additional chief secretary, agriculture and farmers welfare department, Haryana; Devinder Sharma, noted agriculture scientist; Sukhpal Singh, chairman of the Punjab State Farmers & Farm Workers Commission; Prof Ranjit Singh Ghuman, Professor of Eminence at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; Sriram Venkataraman, director, department of agriculture, govt of Kerala; Swaran Singh Boparai, former vice-chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala; Col J SGill and Vikash Kumar, professor at CRRID.
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