Agriculture dept. to roll out projects worth ₹2,375 cr. over next five years

The Agriculture department will roll out projects worth ₹2,375 crore over the next five years to boost the State’s agricultural sector, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad has said. He was inaugurating Irikkur Farmers’ Association’s ‘Agri Fest 25’ at Naduparambil here on Thursday.

Highlighting sector-specific initiatives, the Minister said ₹250 crore had been allocated for rubber replanting across 30,000 hectares to revitalise the ailing sector. A novel intervention includes organising business-to-business (B2B) meets, aiming to bridge market gaps and improve farmers’ profitability.

The Minister said devices prepared using artificial intelligence through start-ups would be introduced in the agricultural sector on a trial basis within six months.

The Agriculture department has set aside ₹27 crore to address wild animal menace, the Minister said. He called for focus on secondary agriculture to empower farmers to determine product prices. “Farmers should progress beyond primary agriculture by value-adding to their produce. Initiatives like producing coconut oil from coconuts, chips from cassava, and flour from banana peels are crucial to transforming the sector,” he observed.

K. Sudhakaran, MP, presided over the function, which was attended by Sajeev Joseph, MLA, Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplani of the Thalassery Archdiocese, Northern Circle Chief Conservator of Forests K.S. Deepa, and Kannur Principal Agriculture Officer M.N. Pradeepan.