Kozhikode: The ‘Kera Gramam’ project meant to boost coconut farming was launched by the agriculture department at Kattipara panchayat on Friday. The project is being implemented in clusters statewide and a total 44 Kera Gramams, each having 250 hectares of coconut farming, have been formed this year in different places in the state.
Agriculture minister V.S. Sunil Kumar inaugurated the project here. More panchayats in the district would get its benefits. In the next three months, five panchayats would be selected and each would get a grant of Rs 75.17 lakh, including Rs 50.17 lakh by the agriculture department and Rs 25 lakh through the Small Farmers Agriculture Business Consortium, said the minister.
Women will have a pivotal role in making the initiative a success and hence all who are in need for a job must become part of the project, he said.
It will provide provide financial assistance of Rs 25,000 per/ha for farmers to make basins around coconut trees, adopt weed control measures, prepare organic manuring, dehusking, plant protection and replacing aged unproductive trees with new ones.
Each ‘Kera Gramam’ will be given a subsidy of Rs 2,000 to procure a coconut climbing machine and a subsidy to buy up to 60 machines for a coconut village.
