Starting this Vishu, consumers across the State can purchase certified safe-to-eat fruits and vegetables from the market.
The Agriculture Department has made arrangements for the launch of the Kerala Organic brand of GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified farm products during the festival season.
The market intervention strategy is envisaged as a permanent mechanism to liberate farmers from exploitation by middlemen and provide consumers with safe-to-eat products.
Local procurement
An official press note issued here recently said fruits and vegetables would be procured from domestic farmers and sold to consumers at fair price through thousands of outlets. The move, it said, would help to check market prices from spiralling out of control during the festive season and ensure the availability of vegetables.
The department is preparing for a two-day drive to sell 2,075 tonnes of vegetables through 1,090 outlets of the Agriculture Department, Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) and Horticorp over a period of two days during Vishu.
The press note said most of the products sold through these outlets would be GAP-certified. It is estimated that farmers in Kerala have produced an additional 309 tonnes of tomato, cabbage, potato, carrot, long beans, garlic, snake gourd, ash gourd, mango, bitter gourd, pumpkin, elephant foot yam, banana and salad cucumber for the festival season.
The produce would be sold through the 1090 outlets on April 12 and 13.