A COVID RESOLUTION AFTER THE CRISIS FOR SELF SUFFICIENCY

Kerala do have traits of developed countries in many fields...we are always setting the developments of those countries as our target in further areas too. But remember we should not fall like USA,UK,Spain Italy,France etc as COVID 19 has proved....It is time to think, think and think together.

As we know Kerala, known as God's own country,was a State producing rice, blackgrams, vegetables etc. Kerala was having many flourishing small scale industrial clusters like coir, handloom,cashew etc. From a productive State it has transformed into a cosumer State which I feel is a downfall over a period of time.

Earlier the festivals of Kerala in any part of it was linked to the harvest season and now we observe that it had slowly turned out to be market oriented consumption sales during festivals like Onam, Christmas,Bakrid etc etc.  Vegetables and rice comes from our neighbouring States for our daily consumption.

Now this COVID crisis had proved that our State shivers once the borders are closed. We depend too much on others for our daily needs which we can produce at our backyard. Neighbouring States never have such problems because for food they have their own production,what they suffer is commercial loss due to non selling of their products to Kerala if borders are closed.

Hence a suggestion is that the administration from the root level to State level must take steps to think and implement as to what we do for making ourselves self sufficient for rice, vegetables etc. Agriculture to be given more importance and Agriculturist must be rewarded properly through setting up marketing centres,subsidies for quality seeds/manure and finally good rate for their products.

Cottage industrial clusters can be revived through revival packages( even though it is there) with more subsidies and tax concessions. With Kudumdasree and other SHGs/JLGs are very active in our State,we can implement the above through themand build up a Self sufficient State of Kerala..Let this be our resolution once the COVID crisis is over.