Date:05/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/05/stories/2009070553830400.htm

Kerala - Alappuzha

Kuttanad package: talks on July 14

Staff Reporter

State wants Kuttanad to be declared a Special Agriculture Zone

Centre has not returned any projects: Mullakkara
Demands will be discussed with K.V. Thomas

ALAPPUZHA: Agriculture Minister Mullakara Ratnakaran has said that the cloud of ambiguity over the Kuttanad Package is slowly blowing over and that implementation of the package is gathering momentum.

Addressing presspersons after a review meeting on preparations for the puncha paddy season here on Saturday, Mr. Ratnakaran said a meeting on the package would be convened with the Union government on July 14 to see how the implementation could be accelerated. Contrary to what was reported by the media earlier, the Centre had not returned any of the projects submitted by the State. There were certain norms that were not adhered to and the Centre had merely asked for a few clarifications regarding this, the Minister said.

Stating that Kerala was still particular that implementation of the package should be done in a holistic manner and not through a piecemeal approach, Mr. Ratnakaran said the State had demanded that the Centre enact a law declaring Kuttanad a Special Agriculture Zone as recommended by the M.S. Swaminathan Commission.

The delay in the implementation of the package was due to the lack of knowledge about the unique features of Kuttanad of a few Central Water Resource Ministry officials. This would be discussed with Union Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas during the meeting on July 14, he said.

Mr. Ratnakaran, who said the State had recorded one of the best yields of recent times during the previous puncha season, said the target was to increase the yield by at least one tonne per hectare this season. An agriculture calendar had been suggested apart from setting up a monitoring committee with District Collector Mini Antony as convener.

Godown for paddy

The Minister also said that if the Cooperation Department cooperated, a godown to store procured paddy would be set up in Kuttanad and 80 per cent of the procurement price could be disbursed immediately. The money could be repaid to the Cooperation Department with interest later.