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Kerala Agriculture Department has an ambitious plan to set up 100 new farmer producer organisation (FPO's) in the current year.
This will help both farmers and processors to realise their objectives in enhancing their income through a collective process, said VS Sunil Kumar, the State Agriculture Minister. While farmers can realise good returns, the processors would get required quality raw materials at reasonable rates without the intervention of middlemen, he said.
Inaugurating the 3rd edition of CII Kerala Food Summit & Expo, the Minister highlighted the importance of the industry in joining hands with farmers to explore the full potential of agriculture in the state. Kerala is the first state in the country that has declared an Organic Agricultural Policy. The organic agricultural products produced in the State are marketed under the common brand ‘Kerala Organic’ which advocate Good Agricultural Practices.
C.K.Ranganathan, Deputy Chairman, CII Southern Region and CMD, CavinKare Pvt Ltd highlighted the importance of process research and product research and making high-quality products.
A.K.Singh, Director-General – Life Sciences, Defence Research & Development Organisation emphasized on the need to develop cutting edge technologies in the agriculture sector, and this should be implemented at grass toot level.
Shobhit Jain, Executive Director, Compliance Strategy/Training, FSSAI called for making India a global leader in the food sector through innovative technologies to increase yield and productivity.
The inaugural session was followed by a panel discussion on meeting the changing regulations and compliance requirements – FSSAI Standards for fruits and vegetables – FSSAI Standards for Spices.
In his interaction with industry leaders, M.A.Yusuff Ali, Chairman and Managing Director of Lulu Group International requested the need to encourage and strengthen the agriculture sector especially during these pandemic times to face the challenges and address food scarcity. He also identified three main problems that Kerala need to address on a priority basis. This includes containing the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, the occurrence of floods and looking for the livelihood of 1.2 million Gulf returnees. Scientific solutions have to be developed in addressing these issues, he said adding, that CII should work in tandem with the State Government in finding amicable solutions to these challenges.
He also urged CII support to encourage cooperative/group farming as well as e-commerce which would transform consumer behaviour and their spending patterns.
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