KOCHI: Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar said government aid will not be given to paddy fields that have been used solely for fish farming. He was speaking after inaugurating the bund construction for pokkali cultivation at Ezhikara panchayat.
He observed some paddy fields are used only for fish farming and farmers have given up paddy cultivation. "We will not let anyone use paddy fields only for fish farming; the government will not give the license to do so.
We will take up the matter with the Fisheries Department and take the necessary steps. The government focus is to promote both paddy cultivation and fish farming in the state," he said.He said the environment-friendly pokkali cultivation will be promoted by the government. Adopting a scientific approach will turn it profitable for farmers. He said there has been a false campaign that paddy cultivation is a loss-making venture for farmers.
Rs 2.15 crore was spent on the construction of 1,990 riverside bund. Around 132 hectares of paddy is expected to benefit from the construction of the bund.V D Satheshan MLA, former MLA P Raju, Agriculture Department officers and various agencies promoting pokkali cultivation attended the function.