The ‘Njangalum Krishiyilekku’ project, a farming campaign by the State government to achieve self-sufficiency in farm production, will script a new chapter in the agricultural sector, said Local Self-Government and Excise Minister M.V. Govindan.
He was speaking after inaugurating a meeting of all the local body heads organised as part of the project.
The project will ensure that not even an inch of land is left vacant in the State. The State can go back to its old agricultural prosperity with modern technology and agricultural practices, said Mr. Govindan. Arrangements should be made to store the excess agricultural produce, apart from producing more value-added products.
Markets abroad
“We should reach a level of one panchayat producing one product. Efforts should be made to find markets abroad for the products produced by Kudumbashree through aggressive marketing,” said Mr. Govindan, adding that the role of local bodies is huge in this area.
Local bodies should not be limited to providing services, but should become employers. As per a survey conducted under ‘Ente Thozhil Ente Abhimanam’ (My job, my pride) there are about 60 lakh job-seekers in the State. Of this, about 35 lakh people between the ages of 15 and 35 will be able to find employment immediately, the Minister said.
25,000 farming groups
He said it had come to the notice of the government that some officials had been delaying files. No official would be allowed to remain in the same post for more than three years. Minister of Agriculture P. Prasad, who presided over the function, said, although the Agriculture department has set a target of 10,000 farming groups through the ‘Njangalum Krishiyilekku’ project in the beginning, around 25,000 farming groups had already joined the scheme. The department has plans to bring in a unified network of procurement, processing and marketing. The Minister added that the aim is to focus on one product based on each Krishi Bhavan.
