Agriculture Minister P. Prasad will inaugurate the World Bank-aided Kerala Climate Resilient Agri-Value Chain Modernisation (KERA) Project at Cherthala on March 2.
A flagship initiative of the Kerala government, the ₹2,365-crore Agriculture department project is aimed at addressing the challenges posed by climate change and fragmented markets and dwindling farmer incomes. The project is designed to strengthen value chains and equip farmers to meet the hurdles posed by climate change.
The five-year project is expected to benefit four lakh farmers directly and 10 lakh farmers indirectly.
Apart from the Agriculture department, the Industries department, Plantations directorate, the Kerala Agricultural University, Water Resources department, the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) and the Kerala Startup Mission are participating in the project. Technical cooperation is being extended by institute and agencies including the the International Rice Research Institute and the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM).
The project places special emphasis on integrating farmer producer companies (FPCs), leveraging digital platforms and promoting agri-entrepreneurship for ensuring higher incomes, sustainability, and resilience for farming communities in the State.
The distribution of financial assistance for a replanting scheme for rubber and cardamom, signing of an agreement for ‘Productive Alliances’ pairing Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) and agri-business players (ABP) and the launch of a web portal for micro-small and medium enterprises (MSME) also will be held as part of the March 2 event.
Industries Minister P. Rajeeve will preside. Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian will be the chief guest.
Published – February 27, 2026 08:23 pm IST
