The Government has chalked out strategies to make Kerala into a bio-agricultural State by 2016, KP Mohanan, Minister for Agriculture has said.

Each panchayat will be given cash awards to become eco-friendly so that by 2016, the entire State would become bio-agricultural. Kerala will be the second State in the country to achieve this target, the Minister said at the valedictory session of the Global Agro meet.

According to him, Kerala has all the potential to attract large-scale investment, especially in agriculture and food processing sectors. The government is planning to introduce a single window scheme for the benefit of potential investors to avail licences to set up ventures in the sector without their physical presence.

The Minister pointed out that a major bane of the State is the near extinction of rich rice varieties, which were once common in Kerala. “This situation needs to be changed and we should once again start focusing on rice cultivation. Some of our own varieties even have medicinal values;” he said.

Citing the fall in prices of commodities as a major issue being faced by the sector, Kerala Governor P Sathasivam called for joint efforts by officials and politicians to change the situation by connecting farmers and consumers through specific schemes.

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