Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

1,000 organic vegetable villages to be set up

Thiruvananthapuram: The government is roping in a number of agencies to set up 1,000 organic vegetable villages this year with the intention of increasing the vegetable production of the State by 1 lakh tonne.

Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran told a preliminary meeting held to work out the details of the scheme here on Wednesday that it would be implemented jointly by the State Horticulture Mission, Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council, Horticorp and the Kerala Agricultural University under the supervision of the Agriculture Department. The National Service Scheme, Kudumbasree and the Haritha Societies would also be associated with it.

A unit of the scheme would be started in each of the 140 Assembly constituencies in consultation with the people’s representatives in order to ensure people’s participation.

In the other parts of the State, places for starting units would be selected in consultation with the advisory committees for agricultural development. Places where vegetables were being cultivated traditionally would be brought under the scheme. It would be extended to land remaining uncultivated, government farms and the land of public sector undertakings. In all, 5,000 hectares of land would be brought under the scheme.

The Minister stated that vegetable cultivation would be undertaken in 100 selected schools also.

In urban areas, vegetable cultivation would be encouraged in the compounds of houses with a minimum of 2 cents of land with the cooperation of the housewives. Some 25,000 such units were proposed to be set up.

The vermi compost necessary for the cultivation would be made available to the participants.

The produce would be procured and sold by the Horticorp. A nodal officer would be appointed in the Agriculture Department to coordinate the activities under the scheme. There would be coordination committees at the district level.

The scheme would be launched in May in a transparent manner and with the people’s participation.

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