Great News for Kerala: 100% Self-Sufficiency in Vegetable Production by 2026 The Agriculture Department of Kerala is all smiles this Onam season. Thanks to their integrated vegetable development program, Kerala's dependence on other states to meet the demand for vegetables during the festival has reduced. This is excellent news for the state, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Until a few years ago, Kerala relied entirely on neighboring states to fulfill its vegetable needs. However, this is slowly changing due to the cultivation of cluster-based vegetables for the open market and home gardens, encouraging families to grow vegetables for personal consumption. According to Agriculture Minister P. Prasad, Kerala will achieve 100% self-sufficiency in vegetable production by 2026.
This year, the department has organized 2,000 Onam fairs where agricultural produce is purchased from farmers at rates 10% above market prices, and a 30% discount is offered on sales. Integrated farming has helped produce 33,191 tons of vegetables in August, the highest in recent years. To achieve this, the department distributed 2.5 million vegetable seeds and 1 million seedlings to families, students, and social organizations. Additionally, 11.66 lakh high-yield vegetable plants were distributed to farmer groups.
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