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High Value Agriculture

                    Developmental activities

Extensive  Intercrop Management

        Lakshadweep is a coconut territory.  Entire land space of  the islands is filled with coconut palms.  There is no  specific area earmarked for the cultivation of vegetables, pulses, tuber crops and fruits crops.  Crops other than coconut adaptable to agro climatic conditions of the territory are to be cultivated in the interspaces of the coconut plantations.  Hence the scheme has been modified and named as Extensive Intercrop Management  pooling all Horticulture based schemes together.   More than half of the local demand for vegetables and fruits is met by importing from mainland.  Almost 20% of the demand is met out of the production of Departmental Demonstration Farms and local farmers.  By the end of IX Five Year Plan 250 MT vegetables were produced covering an area of 275 Ha against target allocation of 250 Ha.  1100 MT fruits were produced covering an area of 310 Ha against the target of 180 Ha.  Under fruit production a special emphasis was given to cover 72 Ha of area during 1999-2000.  But still, a  major chunk of family budget is spent on purchasing fruits and vegetables imported from the mainland.       

    In X Five Year Plan thrust has been given to encourage local farmers to cultivate vegetables, pulses,  tuber crops and  fruit crops in their homesteads and other areas as an intercrop, with an aim to produce vegetables and fruits required to meet the minimum local demand.  Objective of the five-year plan 2002-2007 is:

i)     Produce 3000 MT fruits such as Banana, Papaya, Guava, Sapota,  Pomegranate etc.

ii)    Produce 750 MT vegetables and pulse crops.

iii)   Produce 500 MT tuber crops.

iv)   Popularise commercial floriculture.

Considering inadequate availability of ground water for irrigation  further expansion of banana cultivation will be done in rain fed low laying areas. Present 80 Ha of banana cultivation will be maintained properly.

             Papaya cultivation will be confined to 19 Ha of area.

            Guava, Sapota, Pomegranate, Mango etc are other crops proposed to be cultivated in an area of 20Ha.

            Vegetable crops, Tuber crops, Pulse crops are also proposed to be cultivated in a total area of 108 Ha.