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Farmers in Kerala’s kole lands in Thrissur seem to have struck gold thanks to the agri startups launched by Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) to take safe-to-eat agri and allied products to the doorsteps of consumers.
The venture is unique as it has integrated agri, livestock and fishing sectors in the kole lands — the unique wetlands that meet 40 per cent of Kerala’s rice requirement.
The Kole wetlands cover an area of 13,632 hectares spread across Thrissur and Malappuram districts.
“We have recently opened two sales outlets — one in the suburban area of Pullazhi run by Kole Padavu Cooperative Society and the other in Mannuthy operated by the University itself — which generate a daily business of ₹15,000 each,” says TP Sethumadhavan, Director of Entrepreneurship, KVASU.
Wide range of productsThe products available in the outlets include rice, vegetables, milk, eggs, broiler chicken and fish, under the brand Kasavu.
The society has also started marketing Kissan Rice (Masoori rice).
The safe-to-eat products are sold below the benchmark price of other organic products in the market, he said.
The idea behind launching agri startups is to provide kole entrepreneurs and farmers an opportunity to fetch better profit margins even at times of distress. “This is a replicable model which can be extended to other appropriate areas across Kerala,” he told BusinessLine.
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