The Agriculture department will organise ‘DPR Clinics’ once every two months in a bid to help agri entrepreneurs draft detailed project reports in an efficient manner, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad said on Sunday.
Speaking at the VAIGA 2023 agricultural expo here, Mr. Prasad said his department also planned to organise the clinics at the district level. Proper DPRs, which reflect the viability of agricultural proposals, were essential for securing bank loans for entrepreneurs and farmers, Mr. Prasad said.
‘’When we talk to the banks, they say that viable project do not come before them. Haphazardly prepared proposals are denied financial assistance,’‘ Mr. Prasad pointed out.
The department had organised a DPR Clinic as a prelude to the sixth edition of VAIGA, which is on at the Putharikkandam ground here, and as part of the expo, assistance was being provided for drafting 50 DPRs. ‘‘We had originally planned it as a one-time programme but it will be made a regular event,’‘ he said.
Likewise, the department would also open VAIGA resource centres in the districts, Mr. Prasad said. The centres would serve as platforms for the proper follow-up of decisions and plans made at the annual VAIGA expos.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan opened the sixth edition of VAIGA — short for Value Addition for Income Generation in Agriculture — on Saturday. The theme of the 2023 edition is ‘Developing value chain in agriculture’ and the expo will be on till March 2.
