Kochi | Farmers are the backbone of the state, and the government will support them with new policies and schemes to tackle challenges posed by climate change and natural calamities, Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Monday.

Speaking after inaugurating the state-level Farmers' Day celebrations at Kalamassery near here, Satheesan said the government was committed to providing strong support to revive agriculture in the state.

"The government will stand with farmers facing severe crises due to climate change and natural calamities through new agricultural policies and schemes," he said.

He said the Farmers' Day celebrations reflected the state's respect for farmers who provide food to the people and its recognition of agriculture as an important profession.

Climate change had created serious problems for farmers across the world, Satheesan said, adding that traditional methods of predicting weather by observing the sky and shadows were no longer reliable.

"Today, even the agricultural calendar itself has fallen out of rhythm," he said, adding that farmers, particularly those with limited resources, were the first to bear the impact of such crises.

Satheesan said steps had been taken within two months of the new government assuming office to ensure that paddy farmers received fair returns for their produce.

He said the price of rubber, which had been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 250, would soon be raised to Rs 300.

Compensation for crop losses caused by floods and other natural calamities had also been increased by 25 per cent, he said.

Support for vegetable cultivation and procurement systems would be strengthened, while modern technology would be used to address the increasing incidents of wildlife attacks on farms.

"Modern systems, including artificial intelligence, will be combined with traditional methods to prevent crop losses and tackle the threat from wildlife," Satheesan said.

The government would also promote value addition to agricultural produce to ensure farmers get better prices, he said.

"The products will be marketed under the name 'Kerala Brand'," the CM said, adding that steps would be taken to export them at lower cost and in less time by leveraging the potential of Vizhinjam port.

Satheesan announced that necessary amendments would be made to the state's land laws to initiate what he described as a "second land reform".

Steps would be taken to reopen closed plantations and promote tourism and multi-cropping, including the cultivation of avocado and rambutan, without affecting agriculture or the environment, he said.

The CM praised Agriculture Minister Adv T Siddique and his team for their efforts to study problems in the farm sector and find quick solutions.

During the function, Satheesan presented the first Oommen Chandy Memorial Award to traditional seed conservationist Cheruvayal Raman. Other farmers' awards were presented at the event.