Kerala Government’s innovative steps in the agricultural sector seem to be yielding results, as is evident from the growth rate achieved last year.
Against a minus growth recorded in the last few years, the sector registered a quantum jump of 5.26 per cent last year. The growth momentum was mainly contributed from banana, pineapple cultivation taken up as intercrop farming activity in rubber plantations and other areas, K.P.Mohanan, the State Agriculture Minister said.
The achievement was mainly due to the launch of a series of initiatives to transform Kerala into a destination of high tech farming and farming industry. This includes hi-tech farming across all panchayats, construction of green houses, high yielding seed and plant centres, new platform for effective technology transfer etc, he said.
Besides spices and marine products, he said Kerala is now the major producer of cashew, coconut, fruits like banana and pineapple.
Global Agro Meet
The Minister was speaking to media persons on Sunday to announce the 2-day Global Agro Meet to be held here on November 6 to 8 in association with KSIDC and CII at Adlux Convention Centre at Angamaly.
Organic farming
He also announced that Kerala will be an organic farming state by 2016, by switching over the entire agriculture practice to this method. For this, he said the government chalked out a clear strategy by providing incentive schemes to farmers at micro level in association with all the panchayats before August next year.