THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As per the state budget, Rs 1,500 crore will be mobilized from various departments to invest in agricultural production sector in 2021-22. The amount will be invested jointly by various departments, local bodies and agricultural agencies.
Finance minister Thomas Isaac said that self-sufficiency in vegetables, milk and egg production can be achieved in two-three years.
The budget earmarks Rs 80 crore for boosting the production of vegetables and tuber crops. Local self-government institutions will set aside Rs 400 crore in their next annual plan outlay. The minister said that the decadal programme for planting 1 crore fruit tree saplings annually will generate an additional income of Rs 50,000 crore.
The necessary planting material will be identified through the nurseries of agencies under agriculture department and local government Institutions. “The exact statistics regarding the fruitbearing trees planted will be maintained in each panchayat and monitored on a plot basis. An amount of Rs 22 crore is provided for this component,” the minister said.
The minister said that coconut clusters will be established either directly under the aegis of service co-operative banks or under the ownership of farmers with a view to encourage industries for coconut value-added products.
Four decades ago, 40% of revenue from coconut in Kerala was either from value-added products or by-products. But today, 95% of the revenue is from coconut itself. The income of the farmers can be substantially increased only by encouraging industries for coconut value-added products owned by the coconut farmers, said the minister.
An amount of Rs 10 lakh will be provided to each cluster to formulate a system for coconut plucking and procurement. Rs 10 crore has been earmarked for this.
The coir department will provide subsidy to 90% investment in coir mills. Attractive incentives will be made available from industrial department to coconut oil mills. The budget hopes to ensure bonus for farmers at a rate of Rs 2 to Rs 3 above the support price.
The state budget has allocated an amount of Rs 116 crore for boosting paddy cultivation. Out of this, Rs 60 crore is the financial assistance to paddy cultivators at the rate of Rs 5,500 per hectare. Additional assistance of Rs 5,000 to Rs.10,000 will be provided by the local bodies. Besides this, Rs 40 crore will be provided as royalty at the rate of Rs 2,000 per hectare. Procurement price fixed by the Union government is Rs 18. The procurement price in Kerala will become Rs 28 after this budget, said Isaac.