The Department of Agriculture Development & Farmers Welfare in Kerala is set to organize 2,000 Onam markets across the state to address the rising prices of agricultural goods. In a recent meeting chaired by the Kerala Minister for Agriculture, it was decided that these markets will be established in every village panchayat, municipality, and corporation to ensure widespread access.
From September 11 to 14, 1,076 of these markets will be directly managed by the Agriculture Department, 160 by the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK), and 764 by Kerala Horticorp. Additionally, the department is establishing an extensive Agricultural Information Network to regulate vegetable prices across Kerala, ensuring market transparency and stability during the festive season. This network, which integrates data from 216 markets statewide, will provide detailed price information for over 300 agricultural products and real-time updates to farmers and stakeholders via mobile platforms. Direct procurement from farmers will also be facilitated to streamline the marketing process.
