Vegetables will be procured directly from farmers and brought to market to counter price hike: Minister Prasad

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister P Prasad has said that steps have been taken to prevent the price hike of vegetables by procuring vegetables directly from farmers and making them available to the people through Horticorp and VFPCK. The minister was speaking at a meeting of top officials convened to discuss the measures related to this.

"From tomorrow, mobile vegetable market stalls will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts. Then it will be brought to more places. Crop destruction due to climate change has severely affected vegetable production.

The director of agriculture department has been tasked to take steps to make available the vegetables required for Onam in the market and to prepare the necessary operational guidelines within a week," he said.

The minister said that a special plan will be implemented in coordination with local institutions and other departments to increase local production of vegetables and achieve self-sufficiency in vegetable production.