THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar on Tuesday informed the Assembly the Farmers Welfare Board would be constituted this year itself. The Bill for constituting the board on the lines of the other welfare boards in the state would be presented in the next Assembly session, he said while replying to a calling-attention motion on the need for implementing a comprehensive agriculture policy in the state. He said the law-making process has been completed for the Farmers Welfare Board. The Budget had already earmarked funds for setting up the board, he added.
Sunil Kumar also said an amount of Rs 283 crore had been sanctioned for disbursing farmers’ pension and it would be distributed before Onam. On the agriculture policy, he said the government was bound to bring in a policy for the growth of the agriculture sector in the state.
He also mentioned the focus of the policy would be on organic farming, increased income for farmers and enhanced productivity. Moreover, the policy would also have ways to attract youth to agriculture. He said most of the people had at present given up agriculture stating they had to incur a heavy loss. There is also a trend now of land being converted to other purposes.