THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Agriculture Department, in association with various government agencies and farmers, will open 1,090 fruit and vegetable outlets on April 12 and 13 in connection with Vishu-Easter celebrations.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the programme, Vishukani-2017, at the Connemara Market, Palayam, at 6 pm on Tuesday. Vishukani-2017 is designed to benefit farmers and buyers on April 12 and 13, the Agriculture Department said.
The department will procure local produce from farmers at prices 10 per cent higher than the market price and sell it to the public up to 30 per cent reduced prices.
Of the 1,090 outlets, 886 will be run by the department, 106 by the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council, Keralam (VFPCK), and 98 by the Kerala State Horticultural products Development Corporation (Horticorp).
The government aims to sell 2,075 tonnes of vegetables through the outlets. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)-certified produce will be sold through the department’s eco-shops under the Kerala brand. In all, 2,347 tonnes of GAP-certified produce is expected to be made available during the festival season.
The government estimates that 309 tonnes of vegetables were produced in surplus this season. These include tomato, cabbage, potato, carrot, string beans, garlic, cucumber, snake gourd, mango and bitter gourd.