The Agriculture department has launched measures for opening Agritech Facility Centres in seven districts as part of the efforts to promote value-addition and increase farmer income in the State.
The Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd has been designated as the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for establishing the centres. A feasibility study would now be carried out for selecting the seven districts, a senior official of the Agriculture Department said.
In the 2022-23 State budget, the government had announced that the centres would be set up at a cost of ₹175 crore sourced from the share set apart for agricultural parks under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
In each of the selected districts, the centres will come up on five to 10 acres of land owned by the Agriculture department. The centres are aimed at ‘‘encouraging value-added farming and value-added agricultural produce and thereby transforming agriculture sector into an efficient economic engine of the State,’‘ the department said in a recent order appointing the Kerala Agro Industries centre as the SPV.
As per the budget announcement, the centres will be handed over to farmer collectives (Committees comprising of farmer producer organisations (FPO) and representatives of farmers).
Services will be provided to farmers and farming initiatives on a no-loss, no-profit basis. Packing facilities including tetra-packing of special value-added products and tools for examination and certification will be made available through these centres, according to the government.
