Get ready for a remarkable journey into the heart of Kerala's agriculture scene! We're talking about Kerala's acclaimed Kuttanad rice, a unique variety that's prepping to sizzle in the global market. This pivotal move is largely due to the high-speed construction of an all-inclusive rice technology park in Mulakuzha, a region nestled in the Alappuzha district.

The park, a grand vision of the State Government, aims to bring the Kuttanad rice brand onto the global stage. Once the project reaches its completion, the rice technology park will serve as the production hub for not only the much-loved Kuttanad rice but also its value-added products. There's more! The park has plans to procure rice directly from the local farmers, thus fostering a strong bond with the region's agrarian community.

Now, if you're wondering about the significance of Kuttanad, it's an area covering Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala. Holding its position strong in the annals of South India's ancient history, Kuttanad is fondly termed the 'rice bowl of Kerala.' This region has been a bustling centre of paddy cultivation for several centuries, with its historical tales being as fascinating as its rice.

A unique feature that sets Kuttanad apart is that it's among the rare places globally where rice farming occurs four to ten feet below sea level. Indeed, it's so exceptional that the Food and Agriculture Organisation has bestowed upon it the honour of a 'Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.'

Turning the spotlight back onto the Rice Technology Park, it's being developed on a sprawling 5.22 acres of land. The land, which is under the possession of Prabhuram Mills and part of the Kerala State Textile Corporation, is transforming at an estimated cost of Rs. 36 crore. The grand execution of this project is in the capable hands of the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation.

At this novel park, the introduction of cutting-edge machinery is on the cards to facilitate the rice and its value-added products' journey towards the international market. The park's impressive storage capacity is estimated to hold up to 5,000 tonnes of paddy. The processing capabilities of the park are no less impressive, as around 5 tonnes of paddy can be processed in an hour. This amounts to a staggering annual processing capacity of approximately 24,000 tonnes!

The Rice Technology Park's completion promises to catalyze a significant boost to paddy cultivation, procurement, and processing in the region. The farmers of Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, and Kollam districts are set to benefit massively, as the park will process the paddy procured from them, ensuring it reaches the Indian and international markets while bypassing private mills.

Saji Cherian, Kerala Minister for Fisheries, Culture and Youth Affairs, shared exciting details about the park. He mentioned how it would serve as a motivation for farmers by offering good prices for their products.

But that's not all! The next phase will see the park manufacturing rice flour, rice flakes, and tin food. These products will be distributed through Supplyco, the State Civil Supplies Corporation, and Consumerfed, the Kerala State Cooperative Consumers Federation, bringing quality products straight from the park to consumers. The journey of Kuttanad rice from the fertile fields of Kerala to the global market is sure to be a thrilling ride!

Kerala Rice Limited

The Government of Kerala had announced the establishment of three state-of-the-art Integrated Rice Technology Parks at Alappuzha, Thrissur and Palakkad as one of the solutions to the problems of rice growers in the State in the 2019-20 state budget. Accordingly a public company under the name and style 'Kerala Rice Limited', was formed under the Industries Department.

>Being entrusted to implement the project of Rice Technology Parks, KINFRA floated Expression of Interest (EOl) to select a consultant for the Preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for setting up of Rice Technology Parks  and  KITCO Ltd. was the lowest bidder. After the selection procedure the work order was issued  to KITCO. The meeting of the Board of KINFRA, held on 23.05.2019 has approved the proposal to set up Integrated Rice Technology Park in Kinfra Mega Food Park, Palakkad.

The State Government in the 2019-20 state budget has announced the establishment of three state-of-the-art Integrated Rice Technology Parks at Alappuzha, Thrissur and Palakkad as one of the solutions to the problems of rice growers in the State in the 2019-20 state budget.

The Minister for Finance in his speech laid down about the project as follows:

• To attain three lakh hectares of land under paddy cultivation, agriculture needs to be made more profitable. The way for this is to make available the profit of value addition to farmers. ₹ 20 crore is earmarked for starting Rice Parks having international standards at three centres such as Palakkad, Thrissur and Alappuzha. The outlay for paddy cultivation is Rs.91 crore.
• Major share of paddy procured by the State Government will be processed here. Not only rice powder, ready-to-eat products from rice powder and barn oil will also be produced. Value added products of husk and hay and by-products such as bio manure and feeds for poultry and cattle will also will be produced in these parks.
• The parks will also function as the incubation centres of start-ups. Arrangements will be made for agriculture groups pack rice in specific manner. These parks will include vast godowns for storing paddy, rice, rice products, pollution control systems and trade centres. This park will function under the control of a company having the capability for branding and selling the products at national and international level. Even now, paddy farmers are being given paddy support price, which is Rs.7.80 higher than the support price of Central Government. We should be able to increase the support price when parks become a reality. Money can be given timely through co-operative banks.

Being entrusted to implement the project of Rice Technology Parks, KINFRA floated Expression of Interest (EOl) to select a consultant for the Preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for setting up of Rice Technology Parks at Thrissur, Palakkad and Alappuzha. KITCO Ltd., was the lowest bidder.

After the selection procedure the work order was issued to KITCO. The meeting of the Board of KINFRA, held on 23.05.2019 has approved the proposal to set up Integrated Rice Technology Park in Kinfra Mega Food Park, Palakkad.

The Government vide order GO.(Rt) No. 596/2019/Ind dated 28.06.2019 appointed Shri. Jeeva Anandan, then managing director and currently the chief executive officer of KINFRA International Apparel Parks Ltd., as the Special Officer for the Integrated Rice Technology Parks.

Later, as per the GO(RT) No.16/2020/ID dated 06/01/2020 the Government of Kerala had ordered to form Kerala Rice Limited and as per GO (Rt).No. 301/2020/Ind dated 29.04.2020 nominated the shareholders and appointed the directors of the company. SVJS & Associates, a reputed firm of Company Secretaries were engaged to manage the registration process of the Company.