Minister for Agriculture V.S. Sunil Kumar has said that 156 grama panchayats in the State will be made barren-free panchayats this year.
Delivering a speech on ‘Haritha Keralam Mission and Local Self-Government Institutions’ at Vythiri in Wayanad district on Tuesday, Mr. Sunil Kumar said a sum of ₹40 crore had been allocated in the current Budget to give royalty to paddy farmers of the State and it was a reward for people conserving mother earth.
The State had seen a leap in paddy cultivation with a yield of 50,000 tonnes last season. The area under paddy cultivation increased to 2,00,000 hectares during the period.
The area would be increased to 3,00,000 hectares next season. “Jeevani, a project to promote organic vegetable cultivation in the State, will help us be self-reliant in vegetable production and fight lifestyle diseases,” he added.
