Minister of Agriculture VS Sunil Kumar said that 7 projects have been granted administrative sanction for the development of local food security and to increase the income of farmers as part of the Subhiksha Keralam Integrated Food Security Program. Local projects have been approved for Rs 20 crore.
The first, Rs 7.5 crore project is to improve irrigation facilities in the Madakkathara panchayat in Ollukkara block of Thrissur. The money will be utilized for the construction of 15 Oja motors for the landfill, completion of the motor shed and installation of 150 PVC pipelines.
An amount of 1.78 crores has been allotted for mechanized farming practices in Chittoor Block. Under the scheme, the State Horticulture Mission has been allotted a sum of Rs. 56 lakhs for the assistance of the Mushroom Cultivation Units on the basis of the prosperity of many young people. A total of Rs 27 lakhs have been allotted to the Maroor Sugar Manufacturing Units in Idukki. The amount has been allotted at the request of the farmer groups in Kanthallur. The grant will be for 12 units through the State Horticulture Mission.
RKVY has also provided financial assistance to value-added products and units to increase agricultural income through value addition. The most important of these is the financial assistance for cashew farmers. 4.80 crore will be provided through the Cashew Milk Development Corporation for agriculture development for funding for cashew crop density (1000 ha) and normal cultivation (2000 ha).
In addition, Rs 2.46 crore has been allotted for value-added products. The project will be funded by the farmers of Kasaragod district for the production of apple juice and concentrated cold drink from Kashmung. Funding is provided through the Plantation Corporation.
Another project of Passion Fruit worth Rs 2 crore has been sanctioned. The project is for the cultivation of passion fruit (50 ha) in Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kasaragod districts.
