Value-added local products can unlock rural economic growth: KAU VC

Strengthening efforts to transform Kerala’s local produce into value-added products and effectively market them can significantly enhance farmers’ income and stimulate the rural economy, said T. Sajitha Rani, Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU).

She was inaugurating a training programme organised by the KAU Agri Business Incubator (ABI) here on Thursday in collaboration with the Palakkad Poverty Alleviation Programme. The Vice-Chancellor said small-scale entrepreneurs, farmers and women entrepreneurs in rural areas should play a leading role in creating value-added products from locally available resources and bringing them to market. Such initiatives, she said, would generate sustainable employment opportunities and improve rural livelihoods.

She further stated that the KAU Agri Business Incubator plays a pivotal role in taking Kerala’s indigenous products to global markets by leveraging modern technologies, quality standards, and efficient market linkages.

The programme was chaired by K. Surendra Gopal, Dean, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara. As part of the programme, the Vice-Chancellor also flagged off the sixth export consignment of value-added food products processed at the KAU Common Incubation Facility (CIF) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The shipment marks the resumption of exports following the temporary disruption in cargo movement through the Strait of Hormuz caused by the conflict in the West Asian region.

K.P. Sudheer, Professor and Head of the KAU Agri Business Incubator, stated that the primary objective of the Incubator is to enhance farmers’ and entrepreneurs’ incomes while establishing a stronger global presence for Kerala’s value-added agricultural products. The training programme was attended by beneficiaries of the Poverty Alleviation Programme, entrepreneurs, farmers, and other stakeholders.