Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has rolled out a unique project to assist farmers who are forced to sell their produce at throwaway prices in these troubled times. Farmers can now take fruits and vegetables grown in their farms to the food processing unit of the university and take home processed and value-added products.
Fruits and vegetables grow seasonally. When there is excess production, farmers have no option but to sell off their produce at cheap rates. And, turning the food processing unit of the varsity into a common facilitation centre has come as a solution to the problem. The initiative is especially useful for farmers without the skills and machinery for making value-added products.
There are many takers for the service. The products are made from seasonal fruits such as jackfruit, mango, plantain, nutmeg, and ginger.
The common facilitation centre does value-addition in line with farmers’ demands and quality and marketability of the products. Farmers need to pay only for the value of the ingredients and the charges involved in making the products. If they provide packaging materials, the centre will package the products too. However, marketing of the products is the farmers’ responsibility.
A farmer can take a minimum of 10 kg of fruits or vegetables to the centre. They will be processed on first-come first-served basis. Only quality produce will be processed.
