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Kochi hosts 2-day Global Agro Meet, inaugurated by agri minister Singh
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Wednesday, 12 November, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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fiogf49gjkf0d Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated the first Global Agro Meet, a two-day international exhibition on high-tech agriculture, organic farming and value addition in Kochi.
It was organised by the agriculture department in association with the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
In his inaugural address, Singh noted that Kerala was a state with 23 agro-climatic zones, and urged it to take advantage of its environment.
“Agricultural yields are affected by the changes in climate. We have to increase the agricultural production by developing high-yielding varieties of climate-resilient crops, to feed our increasing population,” he added, reminding the invitees that agriculture was not possible without technology.
Singh said that steps would be taken to make the knowledge being created in the research institutes available to the farmers on the fields.
Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, who presided over the meet, said that the session was aimed at building the confidence of the farmers in the state.
“The Global Agro Meet would expose our farmers and entrepreneurs to the latest technologies and schemes in agriculture, while creating opportunities to showcase our products globally,” he said.
Chandy added that the state was in the process of creating modernised and sustainable patterns in the agricultural, agro-processing and allied sectors.
He cited the example of neera, the sap of the coconut palm, which has huge commercial potential.
Twenty lakh tonnes of fruit and vegetables are consumed in Kerala, but earlier most of them were used to come from other states. The government has introduced the Vegetable Development Scheme to increase the production of vegetables in the state.
The chief minister said, “We have been able to produce 50 per cent of our total consumption from within the state.”
He added that the state would help young entrepreneurs in the state to come up with ventures in the sector.
Bio-agriculture state
Kerala would be one of the few states in India to become a bio-agriculture state by 2016. This was stated by state agriculture minister K P Mohanan in his valedictory address on the second day of the meet.
He added that the state government had chalked out an ambitious strategy to achieve this target.
“Each panchayat would be given cash awards to become eco-friendly, so that by 2016, the entire state would become a bio-agriculture state. Kerala would be the second state in the country to achieve this target,” Mohanan stated.
He added that Kerala had the potential to attract large-scale investment, especially in the agriculture and food processing sectors.
“We are going to launch a single-window scheme, so that potential investors could avail all licences without their physical presence. They would have to come to the state only to collect the licences and set up the venture,” the minister said.
He said that a major bane of the state was the near-extinction of rich rice varieties which were once common in the southern state.
“This situation must change, and we should start cultivating rice again. Some varieties even have a medicinal value,” Mohanan said.
Retired justice P Sathasivam, Kerala’s governor, said that a major issue facing the agriculture sector was the sudden collapse of prices.
“Everybody would be up in arms if the price goes up. Nobody would make any noise if the price crashes to an all-time low. This situation must change, and both politicians and officials should try to connect farmers and consumers,” he said.
“I hope that you have already had several sessions to reassess the issues and problems that deserve immediate attention. You might also have identified the research priorities and extension strategies aimed at increasing agriculture production,” Sathasivam added.
“My view in this connection is that you chalk out specific schemes in a planned and result-oriented manner,” he said.
K Prathapan, mission director, Kerala Horticulture Mission, said, “The post-harvest management of perishable products in the sector needs immediate attention. Made in Kerala and the branding of organic fruit and vegetables as safe to eat need to be promoted.”
R Ajith Kumar, director of agriculture, welcomed the gathering. Shiny George, president, Karukutty Gram Panchayath; Mary Antony, president, Angamaly Block Panchayat; Benny Moonjel, municipal chairman, Angamaly; Jose Thettayil and V V Pushpangadan, additional director of agriculture, also spoke on the occasion.
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