THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the country reported an increase in passenger vehicle sales in the first six months (April-September) of the current fiscal, Kerala, surprisingly, witnessed a fall in sales in the same period.
As per the Economic Review, a total of 1,95,665 passenger vehicles were registered across the country during April-September 2020, an increase of 9.81 per cent from 1,78,189 vehicles in the same period previous year.
In Kerala, the passenger vehicle sales dropped by 2.38 per cent to 17,934 from 18,372 in the first six months of the current financial year, according to the review. In fact, all the automobile segments saw decline in sales in the state in the April-September period.
Fewer cases of man-animal conflict
T’Puram: There were fewer incidents of human-animal conflict in 2019-20 owing to the proactive steps taken by Forest Dept. KIFFB also took measures to bring down the cases.
Tourism lost nearly G25k cr in 2020
T’Puram: Tourism was among the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic, with the Economic Review pegging its losses between J20,000 crore and J25,000 crore in nine months of 2020. The sector had bounced back in 2019 after the 2018 flood and witnessed an 8.52% growth in foreign tourist arrivals and 17.81% growth in domestic tourist arrivals than 2018.
Incidents of human-animal conflict
2019-20 6,662
2018-19 7,890
2017-18 7,229
2,895 elephant attacks reported in 2019-20
-6.62% Agri Annual growth rate
T’Puram: The annual growth rate of agriculture dropped by 6.62 per cent in 2019-20 compared to -2.38 per cent in 2018-19. Area under paddy cultivation dipped from 2.03 lakh hectares in 2018-19 to 1.98 lakh hectares in 2019-20. Area under pulses shrank by 229.54 hectares, while production declined by 197 tonnes to touch 2,260.46 hectares and 2,103 tonnes, respectively, in 2019-20. Banana recorded the highest increase in area (14.7 per cent). Ginger, turmeric, tea and coconut recorded a decline in area.