The Agriculture department has put together a Vision 2026 document that envisions food security for the State, higher income for farmers, and better employment opportunities in the farm and allied sectors by 2026, Minister for Agriculture P. Prasad has said.
Making effective use of the 14th Five-year Plan, the document sought to tap traditional knowledge, latest technologies, and available financial resources for creating a sustainable and environment-friendly farm sector, the Minister said, replying to the discussion on the demands for grants in the State Legislative Assembly.
Farm plan-based approach
The State's farm sector was poised to see a shift in focus from the individual crop-based approach to an integrated, farm plan-based one as part of the efforts to increase agricultural production, Mr. Prasad said, adding that all forthcoming schemes would be based on such a plan.
In all, 10,670 farms would be part of the Phase I of this initiative.
Asserting the need to produce pesticide-free vegetables in the State, the Minister said that the Pesticide Residue Lab of the Kerala Agricultural University had tested 602 samples, out of which 157 had tested positive for pesticide residues above the permissible levels.
