Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 17: A slew of upfront policy initiatives is on the cards to tap the full potential of Kerala’s plantation sector by adopting multi-pronged strategies to enable optimal and sustainable utilisation of assets and create a valued brand of high-quality products to tap the global demand, says Minister for Industries, Law and Coir Shri P Rajeeve.
The State Government has been making concerted efforts, by taking stakeholders on board, to further strengthen the crucial sector ever since the formation of a separate Plantation Directorate under the Department of Industries & Commerce (DI&C) in 2021, the Minister noted.
This was done with a long-term vision aimed at scaling up the capacity of the plantation sector in a scientific, sustainable and inclusive manner by adopting policies and supportive measures, he said.
“Kerala accounts for 46 per cent of all plantations in India. Our plantation sector has a long history and made a deep impression in the socio-economic journey of Kerala. While it continues to be a key contributor to the state’s economy and provider of jobs, it is faced with some serious and sensitive issues, which need to be addressed collectively,”Shri Rajeeve pointed out.
The state government has entrusted Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K) to conduct an in-depth study on the current status of the plantation sector and come up with recommendations. The IIM-K team has visited various plantations, met estate owners, labour representatives and the state and central facilitators, and the final report is expected to be ready in another two months. Based on this report, the government would take more measures, he said.
The plantation sector will also benefit from the 285 million USD World Bank-aided Kerala Climate Resilient Agri-Value Chain Modernisation (KERA) project aimed at modernising the state’s food and nutritional security. The components earmarked for the plantation sector in this project would enable the government to step up supports for the rejuvenation of plantations, the Minister said.
Seeking to optimise utilisation of the assets, the government has already allowed 5 per cent of plantations to be used for purposes like horticulture, cultivation of supplementary crops and tourism and allied activities in a responsible and ethical manner. A single-window system will be set-up at the Plantation Directorate to give clearances for such proposals.
Also, a policy intervention to allow growing of commercial crops other than the specified ones, in plantation land is under the consideration of the government.
Improvement of living spaces of labourers, known in local parlance as ‘layams’, is another step. The improvements to the living spaces can be taken up by the planters themselves by availing credit from the bank and the government is planning to subsidise part of the interest, Shri Rajeeve said.
Promotion of responsible and ethical practices is also an important component of the reforms in the sector. For instance, those who are utilising part of the estates for tourism activities will have to strictly do it in an environment-friendly manner.
The revolutionary Kerala Industrial Policy 2023 has identified 22 priority sectors to enable the state to be at the forefront of industries of the future. One among these priority sectors is High-tech Farming and Value-Added Plantation Produce.
The second edition of the Kerala Plantation Expo will be held in Kochi from January 20 to 22, giving an added thrust to the initiatives by showcasing the sector’s brand potential to tap the global and domestic demand for a wide range of products and services. The first edition of the expo held in 2023 in the state capital, in partnership with the stakeholders was a big success, Shri Rajeeve added.
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