The Agriculture department will give priority to cluster-based, commercial cultivation of vegetables in the 2022-23 fiscal as part of revitalising the efforts aimed at making the State self-reliant in vegetable production.
Rainfall-induced crop damage in the southern States had triggered scarcity and a sudden spurt in prices in the second half of 2021, forcing Kerala to launch market intervention programmes and resort to emergency purchases from neighbouring States.
In the coming fiscal, the department hopes to expand the area under vegetable cultivation through cluster-based commercial and fallow land vegetable farming under the Subhiksha Keralam food security programme, as per the Annual Plan.
The size of the clusters will range from three to five ha, and cropping will be based on the crop calendar and block-wise production plan, department officials said.
Targeting area expansion and productivity/production improvement, support will be provided for staggered clusters focussing on cool season, traditional, and Geographical Indication-tagged varieties.
Cluster-based commercial cultivation will be promoted by the department and also through the Vegetable and Fruit promotion Council Keralam. There is also a plan to grade the best clusters ‘A’ grade ones. Clusters lagging behind in performance will be delinked from support and new ones formed.
Urban clusters and clusters led by women, students, and youth will be encouraged. Guaranteeing the quality of vegetables through effective pesticide residue analysis is also part of the Plan proposals.
In 2022-23, homestead cultivation also will be promoted as part of encouraging the farming of safe-to-eat vegetables. The plans also include project-based cultivation in institutions such as anganvadis, police stations, and Krishi Bhavans.
According to the department, the daily requirement of vegetables in the State is around 5,470 tonnes. Domestic production accounts for 4,301.4 tonnes or 78.5% of the daily demand. The gap is bridged through purchases from other States. According to the department, domestic production stood at 15.7 lakh tonnes (1.02 lakh ha) in 2020-21.
