Taking into consideration the possible food scarcity that kerala may need to tackle if COVID-19 pandemic worsens in the country, chief minister pinarayi vijayan on tuesday said that the state needs to boost its agricultural production. The chief minister said this is a preventive measure to tackle the food crisis, if supply from other states stops. Stating that kerala has limitations in producing good grains required by the whole population of the state, the chief minister said that the state needs a greater intervention in the agricultural sector.
“All of us know the limitations of kerala in producing all the food grains necessary for us. We depend on other states. But we have to look into the possibility of what could happen if the COVID-19 situation worsens in other parts of the country. We need to start taking measures to tackle it,” said Pinarayi Vijayan. From increasing more technology induced farming activities to turning barren lands in the state into farmlands, the cm listed out measures that can be taken to prevent a possible food crisis.
The cm said “We don’t have enough farmlands to meet our needs, but when we consider the agricultural land that is lying barren, there is a considerable amount. So we have to take a pledge that we will not be leaving land barren like that. No barren land should be there under local self government departments. If the owner of the land is not interested in starting agriculture there, local bodies should make out an arrangement to start farming there".Pinarayi Vijayan also assured the public that the state has enough food resources in stock for many months. "We are totally safe for months altogether. There is no need to be apprehensive, we are only taking a preventive measure to tackle if the pandemic worsens in other states".
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