Special project launched to combat climate change challenges in agriculture : Minister

The State has launched ‘KERA’ project, a ₹2,365 crore initiative supported by the World Bank, to address the challenges posed by climate change in the agricultural sector, according to Agriculture Minister P. Prasad.

Speaking at the valedictory session of ‘Haritham 2026’, a district-level agricultural festival organized by the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK), here on Sunday, the Minister emphasized the need for farmers to transition toward value-added products to maximize the potential of Kerala’s high-quality produce.
Mr Prasad highlighted the success of the Keralagro brand, which currently markets 4,000 value-added products sourced from farmers across 174 Krishi Bhavans.

He further noted that the government is providing special financial assistance to farmers who cultivate fallow lands.

“VAIGA meet organised to find new markets for farmers successfully secured business deals worth ₹347 crore for Kerala’s farmers. Fruit and vegetable production in the State has seen a massive leap, rising from 6 lakh tonnes to 19.6 lakh tonnes over the last decade, supported by 15 new seed varieties developed by the Agricultural University in the last five years,” he said.
Presiding over the event, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal distributed prizes to competition winners and honoured outstanding farmers. “The government has earmarked financial aid for constructing buildings for agricultural societies and has allocated ₹5 crore in the budget for refrigerated warehouses,” said Mr. Balagopal who also urged for the expansion of floriculture and ornamental plant cultivation due to their high export potential.

While Kodikunnil Suresh, MP delivered the keynote address, district panchayat president R. Lathadevi, vice president S.R. Arun Babu, standing committee chairperson G. Saraswathy, and Kottarakkara municipal chairperson Anita Gopakumar also spoke on the occasion.