State plans to grow 3.25-lakh tonnes of vegetables

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has set a vegetable output target of 3.25 lakh tonnes for the current year, Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran told the Assembly on Friday.

Responding to a calling attention motion from Raju Abraham (Communist Party of India-Marxist), Mr. Ratnakaran said the government was promoting vegetable cultivation in 12,000 hectares of land and had pumped in Rs.11.25 crore for the purpose.

The Agriculture Department had distributed 10,000 vegetable seed packets and saplings through the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council, Keralam (VFPCK). Nearly 150 panchayats were actively involved in vegetable cultivation, he said.

The State was able to increase its vegetable production by roughly 40,000 tonnes last year, Mr. Ratnakaran said.