Coconut Board Act to be amended to increase farming, says Tomar

The union cabinet decided on Thursday to amend Coconut Development Board Act as part of efforts to increase coconut farming.

Addressing a press conference after the first meeting of the expanded cabinet, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the Coconut Board president will be a non-official person from the farmer community.

"To increase coconut farming, we're amending Coconut Board Act. The Coconut Board president will be a non-official person. He will be from the farmers' community, who knows and understand work of the field," Tomar said.

The minister also said that Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) will be able to use Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund announced last year.

He said it had been decided earlier that APMCs would be strengthened and efforts made to provide more resources to the APMCs.

"Today, the Cabinet has decided that APMCs will now be able to use Rs 1 lakh crore agricultural infrastructure fund. The state government and cooperative federations will also be eligible to use this fund. I think more people will be benefited and more infrastructure will be created," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )