Government to set up modern chicken hatchery in Konni

Government would set up a modern chicken hatchery and a farmers’ facilitation centre in Konni soon, K.P. Mohanan, Agriculture Minister, has said.

According to him, both the projects have been sanctioned for Konni on the basis of a request for the same by the Revenue Minister, Adoor Prakash. He said the chicken farming project would be implemented in all grama panchayats in the Konni Legislative Assembly segment.

The Minister was inaugurating the ‘Kepco village’ scheme of the Kerala State Poultry Development Corporation (KSPDC) at Konni on Monday.

The Asraya project aimed at supporting the widows in each grama panchayat limits would be launched in December. Widows in all grama panchayats in the State would be provided with 10 hens each, along with 10 kg feed and medicine as part of the project, the Minister said.

He said the Government would also start another modern chicken hatchery at Kudapanakkunu in Thiruvananthapuram, spending Rs 10 crore.

Facilitation centre for farmers

Mr Mohanan said the Government would open a facilitation centre for farmers across the State in an effort to support the farmers in the wake of shortage of workers in the farming sector. He said 35 such centres would be opened soon in different parts of the State at an estimated cost or Rs 32 lakh each.

The State is looking forward to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of milk, eggs, and meat products so that the import of these items from other States could be stopped in a phased manner, he said.

Coconut procurement

The Minister said the project to procure coconut through the Krishi Bhavan would begin across the State in the next one month itself.

The coconut thus procured would be handed over to Nafed. He said the Government was going ahead with the ambitious projects of coconut bio-park and rice bio-park.

Revenue Minister presided over the function. Anto Antony, MP; Robin Peter, Haridas Edathitta, both District Panchayat members; Leela Rajan, Konni Block Panchayat president; Omni Eapen, vice-president, and V. Sunilkumar, KSPDC managing director, also spoke.