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Thiruvananthapuram, Feb. 14 The Kerala Government has constituted a Paddy Board with the objective of increasing production of rice.

The board will be headed by the Agriculture Minister with the Agriculture Production Commissioner as Vice-Chairman and the Agriculture Director as Secretary.

The members of the board comprise Secretaries of Irrigation, Revenue, Finance and Agriculture departments, the Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Agriculture University, Director of Rice Research Centre, presidents of three district panchayats, chairpersons of Paddy Development Agencies, principal agriculture officers of Palakkad, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts and three farmer representatives.

The Agriculture Minister, Mr Mullakara Ratnakaran, said that the board would meet once in two months and evaluate the activities in the area of paddy cultivation. The board will coordinate the functioning of paddy development agencies and ensure timely supply of seed, fertilisers, pesticides and subsidies to farmers.

Besides, the board will attend to matters such as irrigation facilities and appropriate farm mechanisation. The other objectives of the board include formulating long-term projects for increasing paddy production; issuing instructions to implement area-specific schemes; and reviewing the activities of the Seed Authority and paddy development agencies.

The Minister said that the Board would also have a decisive role in the implementation of M.S. Swaminathan Commission recommendations and the ‘Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana’ programme.

More Stories on : Rice | Kerala

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