THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Paddy production in the capital district rose by 47% in 2023 though the area under cultivation saw a 7% drop from the previous year. Total production in 2022-23 was 6,530.81 tonnes. Productivity rose by 57%, according to the handbook brought out by the district office of the Economics and Statistics Department.
“Agriculture plays an important role in the economy of the district. More than 50% of the total population depends on agriculture for its livelihood,” the report said. The major crops cultivated in the district are coconut, tapioca, rubber, plantain, paddy, vegetables and pepper.
Among the 15 major crops listed in the report, the highest increase in YoY production was for pepper, 49.02%. Paddy came second at 47.01%, followed by cocoa at 43.32% and banana, 36.38%. Coconut production dipped to 471 million nuts from 490 million in 2022.
Serious crimes come down
Incidences of serious crimes saw a dramatic decline in Thiruvananthapuram last year. The total number of crimes under eight heads dipped from 1,453 in 2022 to 1,225 in 2023, as per the handbook brought out by the district office of the Economics and Statistics Department.
Rape cases went down from 344 in 2022 to 116 in 2023. Murders came down from 54 to 39 and kidnappings from 32 to 22. There was a 5.5% drop in theft cases and not a single riot case was registered. There were three riot cases in the previous year. A glaring exception was burglary which remained stubbornly high. The number of burglary cases rose by 18.3% - from 289 in 2022 to 342 the following year. Three dowry death cases were registered in both years.
Huge inflow of tourists
Maximum number of foreign tourists who visited Thiruvananthapuram in 2023 was from the USA, 19,714, followed by the UK, 19,586 and the Maldives, 17,413. As many as 1.48 lakh tourists visited the capital district, an 81% increase from the previous year. There were 11,090 tourists from Germany.
key points
20% of govt employees in Kerala are from Thiruvananthapuram and 49% of total students in Thiruvananthapuram study in public schools
Floriculture cultivation in 216.82 ha
Road accidents increased by 11%
