Products such as rice, milk, vegetables and egg will be available in the first stage. Initially, 30 entrepreneurs of Pullazhi kole, Thrissur, are involved in the start-up village project.
These products would be made available through different outlets of the university and Pullazhi Kole Sahakarana Sangham, said Dr. T.P. Sethumadhavan Director Entrepreneurship of KVASU and principal investigator of start-up village project.
“The start-up village project envisage to produce agri and livestock products with less than permissible limits of antibiotic and pesticide residues. It will be ascertained in the nationally accredited laboratories of KVASU.”
Move to market organic or pesticide-free products at a premium price would facilitate farmers to get better profit margins even with the low productivity, he added.
The university started implementing this project in 2014-2015 under the State plan project in the Kole lands of the district. Thrissur Pullazhi kole land was selected for the project.
Start-up village is a unique project of KVASU, facilitating the concept of safe-to-eat. The Directorate of Entrepreneurship at KVASU is implementing this programme with the support of Thrissur Urban Development Authority and Pullazhi Kole Sahakarana Sangham.
The project envisages to make convergence of agriculture, livestock and fisheries sector and to produce safe-to-eat products. The products will be marketed under the KVASU.
Aid by KVASU
The KVASU supplied fodder slips, de-wormers and mineral mixtures to improve productivity. Along with dairying, measures were taken to produce and market organic eggs, broiler chicken, vegetables, fishes, organic rice, inputs for organic farming like dried garden manure, vegetable manure, and biodynamic mixture.
Therambil Ramakrishnan, MLA, will launch the products on March 1, at St. Joseph Church Hall, Pullazhi. Mayor Ajitha Jayaraj will preside over the function.


Source : the Hindu