Kerala govt to develop horticulture hub through cooperative consortium

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has initiated steps to consolidate funds from cooperative societies to implement new projects. A key pilot initiative under this strategy is the plan to transform Kerala into a horticulture hub, as outlined in the state budget.

For the first time, an agriculture project under a cooperative consortium is being formulated under the Cooperation Department. Earlier, the Centre sought recommendations from states for formulating a National Cooperative Policy. In response, Kerala proposed the idea of government-cooperative partnerships in the welfare, development, and production sectors.

The project envisions integrating horticulture crops with commercial and cash crops, either as standalone or intercrops. Grafted plants are expected to start yielding from the second year, ensuring a stable income for up to ten years from high-value horticultural trees.

Key Features

• Thrissur has become a key centre for essential supplies for horticulture crops. Cooperative distribution centres will be established in various localities to ensure availability. High-quality saplings also have significant export potential.
• A distribution network for nursery plants will be established at airports and seaports, encouraging cooperative societies in agriculture sector to handle production, networking, transportation, and exports.
• A cooperative consortium will cultivate horticulture trees on their own land or leased properties. The consortium will also set up a collective marketing system for the produce.
• An initiative will be set up to launch processing units to convert fruits into jam, squash, jelly, frozen fruits, and dried fruits.