KOCHI: On a day Kerala marked Chingam 1 and Farmers Day, the state government rolled out a slew of initiatives aimed at strengthening farmers, encouraging the younger generation to take up agriculture and helping the sector cope with climate shocks.
Agriculture Minister T Siddique announced the launch of ‘Krishi Sakhi,’ a five-year programme focused on empowering women farmers, from production to marketing, in line with the UN’s observance of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
The government will also introduce ‘Kathir’ agricultural clubs in schools, with farm-study trips under ‘Kathir Sanchaaram’ and ‘Kathir Markets’ linked to school midday meal programmes. Students who actively participate in the clubs are likely to get grace marks, with discussions for the same under way with the general education department.
For farmers hit by floods and other natural disasters, the department has launched a Crop Loss Assessment & Replanting Special Drive, under which seeds, planting materials and fertilisers will be provided free of cost to speed up replanting.
The minister also announced that paddy procurement arrears for the January-June period would be disbursed through a banking consortium, while dues owed to vegetable farmers by Horticorp would be cleared by the end of this month.
Siddique also announced that the government would build a house for Adithyan, a Class VI student from Cherthala who won the state’s best child farmer award. Living with his parents in a one-room house,
Adithyan has made a mark through paddy and vegetable cultivation as well as an integrated farm with cattle, goats, poultry, ducks and ornamental fish. “This is in recognition of Adithyan’s dedication and hard work,” the minister said. The government will also hold an internal agriculture summit on September 10 and 11 to review the department’s performance and chart its future course.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan also congratulated the recipients of the state farmers awards and felicitated Padma Shri Cheruvayal Raman, the first recipient of the Oommen Chandy Memorial Lifetime Contribution Award, for his contribution to preserving Kerala’s traditional agricultural heritage.
Land Reforms 2.0, AI shield for farmers soon, says CM Satheesan
KOCHI: Kerala will embark on a second phase of land reforms, introduce changes to outdated land laws to revive locked-up plantations, and launch a global marketing push for value-added farm products under a ‘Kerala’ brand, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Monday.
Announcing a series of measures to strengthen the farm sector, Satheesan also unveiled an AI-driven integrated system to protect farmers in hilly regions from wild-animal attacks.
The announcements were made at the state-level Farmers Day celebrations and state farmers awards ceremony held at Kalamassery. The three key initiatives, viz., Land Reforms 2.0, the ‘Kerala’ brand and the use of AI to tackle human-wildlife conflict, had also figured in Satheesan’s budget speech in June.
