Agriculture Minister P. Prasad will visit a stall at the VAIGA 2026 festival in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
The state government will continue to provide additional bonuses to paddy farmers regardless of the Centre’s demand that it be stopped, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad said here on Wednesday.
The Minister of Agriculture here launched the 2026 edition of the Value Addition for Income Generation in Agriculture (VAIGA) festival organized by the Ministry of Agriculture at the World Market Campus in Anayara. The festival lasts until February 16.
The state government provides a bonus of ₹ 6.31 per kg to farmers in addition to the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹ 23.69. The state government is paying the bonus as the MSP provided by the Center itself will not be sufficient for paddy farmers due to unstable prices, he said.
Mr. Prasad emphasized the need for value addition in agriculture to increase farmers’ income. Farmers and farm collectives must focus on business to make agriculture profitable, he said. The Minister described the VAIGA fest as a way to take farmers from “crop to price” and a tool to strengthen the agricultural sector.
The KERA project
The state government has been pushing the World Bank-backed ₹ 2,365 crore Climate Resilient Agro-Value Chain Modernization (KERA) project in a scenario where the Center did not seek support. The KERA project is designed to benefit the state’s farmers in a big way, he said.
VAIGA 2026 features more than 250 stands. The Minister of Agriculture inaugurated the ceremony by lighting a yam lamp. Participants include farmer collectives, cooperative institutions, farmer producer organizations and public and private sector agencies and entrepreneurs. The B2B meeting is scheduled for Friday at the O By Tamara hotel. Around 130 manufacturers and 96 traders are expected to attend the meeting. The Farmers’ Parliament is scheduled for February 16 at Travancore Hall, Technopark.
Published – 11 Feb 2026 21:14 IST