The State government has envisaged a ₹100-crore package for the revival of the Urban Wholesale Agricultural Market at Vengeri here, Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar said on Friday. It will be funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board.
Speaking after inaugurating the Farmers Training Centre (FTC), a parasite breeding station and an agro-clinic for the conservation of crops, he said that a special purpose vehicle would be created to speed up the process. The Agriculture Department had been taking efforts to revive the market for the past two-and-a-half years. But some serious flaws from Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd, which had tasked with the project, led to the delay, he said.
He said that a detailed project report would be ready to make the Vengeri a hub for coconut procurement and processing of value-added products. Besides, a new agency would be entrusted to execute the project. The Kerala Agricultural University and the Kerala State Warehousing Corporation have already evinced interest in setting up their units. Besides, the Vengeri market has been selected for a ₹35-lakh Central fund, the Minister said.
Multiple hurdles
The Minister said the agriculture sector in the State had to face multiple hurdles including the drought of 2016-17, Cyclone Ockhi in 2017, Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode, and the floods in the State in 2018. Despite the setbacks, the State recorded 3.6% growth which was higher than the national average.
However, he said, one of the worrying factors was the increase in the use of weedicide among farmers. There was a 79% increase in the use of weedicide in the State while the use of pesticides had come down by 17%. The use of organic pesticides had grown by 16%.
Agro-clinics
He said the Agriculture Department had decided to set up parasite breeding stations and agro-clinics in all the districts. It would help in the detection of diseases in crops and finding remedies. Similarly eco-shops would be established at all agriculture departments. All grama panchayats would have a farmers group and blocks, agro service centres, and auction centres, the Minister said.
A. Pradeepkumar, MLA, who spoke at the function, flayed the Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development (COSTFORD) for the six-year delay and the unscientific methods in constructing the FTC. However, he hoped that the Agriculture Department would rectify the problems to revive the urban market.
Mayor Thottathil Raveendran and Kozhikode district panchayat president Babu Parassery inaugurated the distribution of equipment to farmers under various schemes on the occasion. A Kisan mela and a seminar were also held at the market to mark the 1000-day celebrations of the State government.
