Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad has said a new law would be introduced in the current legislative session to make cultivable land available to farmers for agriculture.

Inaugurating the 54th foundation day celebration of Kerala Agricultural University, the Minister said agricultural land must remain with farmers to ensure food security.

He stressed the need for measures to reduce post-harvest losses, which amount to over ₹1,500 crore annually. The government aims to promote secondary agriculture alongside primary farming. As part of this initiative, the “One Value-Added Product from Every Krishi Bhavan” scheme has been launched.

Prasad also highlighted the challenge of ensuring adequate food production for the growing population, addressing global issues such as rising food demand, declining agricultural land and greenhouse gas emissions. He urged the university to conduct research on these critical issues.

The Minister conferred the the Agricultural University’s title of ‘Professor of Practice’ to Padma Shri awardee Cheruvayal Raman, a renowned rice farmer and preserver of traditional seeds.  

B Ashok, Vice-Chancellor, KAU, emphasised the need to expand agricultural education to reach more students. The university also released 15 new crop varieties, including rice, coconut, beans, snake gourd, and fodder grass. Besides, 16 innovative technologies aimed at reducing agricultural labour and enhancing value-added production, were introduced for farmers.

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