Agri mall to come up at Thiruvangoor: Minister

One of the six proposed agriculture malls in Kerala will come up at Thiruvangoor near Koyilandy for effective retailing of various value-added agricultural products, Minister for Agriculture K.P. Mohanan has said.

One of the six proposed agriculture malls in Kerala will come up at Thiruvangoor near Koyilandy for effective retailing of various value-added agricultural products, Minister for Agriculture K.P. Mohanan has said.

He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a Neera processing unit of the Kerala State Coconut Development Corporation (KSCDC) at Elathur near here on Friday.

Value-added items

Mr. Mohanan said the “agri-malls” would market all the native varieties of agricultural produce, value-added items, processed meat products, and other allied items being manufactured by farmers and various government-funded agencies in Kerala.

The malls would come up with the required amenities, including spacious parking space for the customers and entertainment facilities for their children. A restaurant of the KSCDC, too, was being planned, he added.

According to Mr. Mohanan, the coconut-based industries in the State were witnessing a new verve with the initiatives taken by the State government to control the meddling of outside agencies to cart away raw coconut at a cheap price.

“Now, our farmers get a decent price in the open market, which will certainly shoot up in the days to come,” he said.

Big boon

The Minister said the Neera processing unit coming up at Elathur would be a big boon for farmers as they would be able to net at least Rs.1,000 from a coconut tree every month.

“The farmers will have to handle only the production process and the rest, including the marketing, will be done at the processing plant,” he said.

The KSCDC officials, who explained the features of the processing unit, said it would have a capacity to process 10,000 litres of Neera a day.

6,000 litres of Neera

As per the current plan, 6,000 litres of Neera, 2,000 litres of coconut honey, and 2,000 litres of coconut sugar would be produced from the unit, they said.

Sabah Pulpetta, chairman of the KSCDC, said the project would be completed by the government with a total investment of Rs.20 crore. “We hope to complete the undertaking within a period of five months,” he added.

A.K. Saseendran, MLA, presided over the function. KSCDC Managing Director Ashok Kumar and General Manager (in-charge) Subhash Babu were also present.