Govt to bring vegetables, fruits under Essential Commodities Act

Thiruvananthapuram, May 21 (UNI) Kerala Food and Civil Supplies Minister C Divakaran today said vegetables, fruit and flours would be brought under the purview of the Essential Commodities Act for checking the prices.

Presently, as these perishable items did not come under the purview of the Act, the government could not take any effective steps to check its prices, he said and added that the government would consider bringing these items under the Act.

Stating that the price hike had to be checked, the Minister said the government would go through all the legal aspects whether the Act could be amended.

Mr Divakaran was participating in the ''Oru Varsham-Varum Varsham'' (One year- coming year) programme here, organised by the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club on the completion of the first year of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

Claiming that the Food and Civil Supplies Department had succeeded in checking the price hike because of its effective market intervention and several other measures, including direct purchase from the production centers by avoiding middle man, he said during the past six months the Supplyco and its outlets did not hike prices.

Mr Divakaran said the government would set up a Rs 100 crore High-Tech Dairy Farm at Wayanad with the help of NRIs.

Besides, this the Animal Husbandry Department would convert its surplus land at Mattupetty for Farm Tourism, he added.

For the first time a welfare scheme for 14 lakh dairy farmers were introduced in the state and seven lakh cattles were insured to save the dairy farm sector, he said adding that the government would take all measures to achieve self-sufficiency in egg production.

UNI