PSUs to bear Farmers Day programme expense

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The PSUs under the agriculture department have been forced to share the expenditure for the farmers’ day programme scheduled to be held on August 15. While Campco and Agro Industries Corporation have been asked to contribute Rs 3 lakh each, Kerala State Feeds Ltd, Kerala Livestock Development Board, Meat Products of India and Kerala State Warehousing Corporation among others have been asked to fork in Rs 2 lakh each. Expenditure worth several crores has been earmarked for the global agro meet by the agriculture department as well.

The state-level inauguration of the farmers’ day programme will be held in Kozhikode this year on a Saturday. However, the district-level farmers’ day  will be on August 17  and will be attended by the local MLA, MP, agriculture department officials and local people. A senior agriculture department official told even agriculture officers working in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and other districts in south have been asked to leave for Kozhikode to add colour to the programme.

“Each Krishi Bhavan has been given a meagre Rs 4, 000 for the district-level programme coinciding with the farmers’ day which is  inadequate. This would be the last farmers’ day programme of the UDF government as next year Kerala will have the  panchayat elections when the election code of code will be applied. So the agriculture department wants to make this year’s  programme a grand success,”  said a senior  official.

According to agriculture director R. Ajith Kumar, the global agro meet will be held during November 6-8 in Kochi which will be attended by major agriculture- dependant countries like Israel, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Netherlands.