KOCHI: The state government will take early steps to disburse the subsidies it promised to coconut producer companies (CPCs) manufacturing neera on a priority basis, agriculture minister V.S. Sunilkumar has said. The minister, who visited the neera production unit of the Palakkad Coconut Producer Company in Palakkad on Friday, said the UDF government had diverted the money earmarked for the purpose.
“The LDF government is duty bound to release the money to CPCs,” he said, adding that only three producer companies have till now got the subsidy. The government is planning to strengthen producer companies, formed under the Coconut Development Board, he said. The agro super markets the government is planning to set up will sell product of the CPCs. The minister admitted that the coconut collection scheme did not go well as there was little coordination among the various agencies drafted for the purpose.
“The government is planning to set up a unified mechanism for this,” he said and added that the government was contemplating appointing farmers cooperatives as the collection agencies for the effective implementation of the scheme. The minister also interacted with farmers on the steps the government could take to make its intervention more effective in the coconut sector.
