The Agriculture Department will soon launch an ambitious programme for planting two crore coconut trees in the State over a ten-year period, Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar has said.
The Minister was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a ₹3.5-crore project for the rejuvenation of paddy fields around the Vellayani Lake.
Under the coconut cultivation rejuvenation programme, 75 saplings each will be planted in every local body ward. As many as 15 lakh saplings are ready for distribution, Mr. Sunil Kumar said. The paddy sector, despite the ravages caused by the 2018 floods, also benefited from it in the form of the silt deposits, he said. The sector has registered approximately 8% increase in productivity. Kuttanad has logged an additional production of 75,000 metric tonnes, he said.
Canal renovation
The ₹3.5 crore rejuvenation programme for paddy fields at Vellayani is being financed through the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).