The Department of Agriculture has unveiled an action plan aimed at achieving self-reliance in vegetables and milk and reviving coconut farming in the State by 2016.

To be taken up under the government’s Mission 676, the plan seeks to bring an additional 69,400 hectares under horticulture to achieve a production target of 8.69 lakh tonnes by 2015-16.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan and senior officials said 10 lakh coconut trees of the dwarf variety would be planted across the State by February 2016 under a flagship programme to revive the coconut sector and address the shortage of tree climbers. Mr. Mohanan said the Neera production plant being set up at Elathur in Kozhikode by the Kerala State Coconut Development Corporation was expected to be commissioned by December 2015. The plant would have a capacity to produce 1,000 litres of Neera a day.

The action plan includes a variety of schemes aimed at making Kerala an organic farming state by March 2016. The programme seeks to bring 3,000 sq m under polyhouse method of horticulture at Vadavathur in Kottayam and Kodumon Estate, Pathanamthitta by November this year. The State Horticulture Mission will take up a project to set up 1,28,000 sq m of polyhouses and introduce organic certification in 3,500 hectares. Cluster units will be set up in Kannur, Wayanad, Idukki, and Palakkad to extend vegetable farming to 3,900 hectares.

As many as 2,00,000 milch cows will be added to the cattle population while the annual production of fodder will reach 44 lakh tonnes. Three new dairy farms are to be set up at Enmakaje, Kottoor and Muthalappara in Kasaragod district. Two new hi-tech dairy farms are expected to be commissioned at Vithura in Thiruvananthapuram and Kuriyottumala in Kollam by August 2015.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by  Special Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – May 29th, 2014