Agriculture Minister P. Prasad on Wednesday described the KABCO Expo Centre and Agri Park proposed at the World Market at Anayara here as essential for showcasing the state’s farm products and improving marketing and competitiveness.
Mr. Prasad announced the ₹59-crore project – under the Kerala Agro Business Company (KABCO) – which comprises a 65,000 sq ft exhibition centre, a seven-storey office complex totalling 1.02 lakh sq ft and a 33,260 sq ft food court.
The Minister will formally kick off the work on the project on August 17 (Chingam 1).
At a press conference here, Mr. Prasad justified the spending on the project. Funds will not be hived off from existing farmer-oriented schemes for the purpose, but raised via other sources and loans.
The State government had launched KABCO last year as a public-private partnership (PPP) model company to promote the marketing of agricultural products.
The exhibition centre will host expos, conventions, business meets and corporate events. The food court is designed to accommodate 365 people at a time. The office complex will accommodate offices of the Agriculture department and public sector units under it.
Farmers Day to be low-key
The Farmers Day observance on August 17 will be a low-key affair this year in view of the Wayanad landslides. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate a State-level observance and distribute the farm awards at a simple function at the R. Sankaranarayanan Thampi members’ lounge at the Kerala Assembly on the day.
