THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Tuesday became the first state to set the minimum price of vegetables, which would be 20% above the production cost, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here Tuesday. The scheme would take effect from November 1, he said.
Launching the plan online, he said it was the first time that the minimum price had been set for 16 varieties of vegetables produced in Kerala.
This was also the first initiative of its kind from any state that would provide relief and support to farmers, he said.
The minimum price would be 20 percent higher than the cost of producing the vegetables, it said in an official statement.
Even if the market price were lower than this, the product would be bought from the farmers at the minimum price.
The vegetables would be graded according to quality and the minimum price would be set accordingly, he said.
“Farmers across the country are not satisfied … but for the past four and a half years, we have supported them.
The government has taken several initiatives aimed mainly at the development of agriculture in the state “, the Chief Minister He said
He said that in the first phase 16 varieties of vegetables would be covered and that there was a provision to review the minimum price on a regular basis.
Local self-government bodies (LSG) would play an important role in this scheme, as they would coordinate the purchase and distribution of vegetables, he said.
The plan would benefit a farmer with a maximum of 15 acres of vegetable growing per season.
They can register in the registration portal of the agriculture departments as of November 1 after securing the harvest to obtain the benefit of the minimum price, he said.
The plan also foresees the installation of the entire supply chain process, such as cold storage facilities and refrigerated vehicles to transport the product.
The Chief Minister also stated that the vegetable production in Kerala has more than doubled in the last four and a half years, from seven lakh tonnes to 14.72 lakh tonnes.
The goal was to increase production by an additional tonne of vegetables and tuber crops this year, he said.
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