Lopsided growth in agriculture, low industrialisation and labour market imbalances with labour shortage in some sectors and surplus in some other sectors were some of the major challenges now before Kerala, according to economist K.P. Kannan.
Speaking at a conference on ‘Kerala Economy and Society: Situating the Present and Imagining the Future,' organised by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) here on Sunday, Dr. Kannan said the State was also facing the problem of quality in fields such as education, and increasing privatisation of sectors that contribute to human development.
K.N. Harilal, economist, said agriculture could be put on growth trend in the State only by addressing three important issues. The existing restriction on landholding was one issue, the absence of public support to farmers was another and the lack of protection from risks was the third.
The conference also had a session on ‘Kerala Migration Survey 2011' carried out last year by R. Irudaya Rajan and K.C. Zacharia of the CDS. One of the important observations of the survey was the shift in concentration in emigration towards the northern districts of the State. They contended that prosperity levels in northern Kerala were set to improve.
