A view of the under construction Kuttanad Rice Park at Mulakuzha, near Chengannur, in Alappuzha.
| Photo Credit: File photo
The Kerala government has sanctioned ₹9 crore for the construction of the Integrated Rice Technology Park (Kuttanad Rice Park) at Mulakuzha, near Chengannur, in Alappuzha. With the allocation of funds, the stalled project is expected to get back on track in the coming days.
The 6,582-sq-ft facility, being set up by the Kerala Rice Ltd., a State government undertaking, on 5.18 acres of land, is intended to produce Kuttanad-brand rice and value-added products.
₹40 crore more sought
“Construction will be restarted in the coming days. We have also sought another ₹40 crore under the Kuttanad Package to complete the project. Our aim is to finish the first phase of the project by the end of this financial year,” said an official.
Due to fund crunch, only less than 50% of the work could be completed over the past two years. Officials said that orders had already been placed for the machinery to be installed at the facility.
The park is being set up at a total cost of ₹53.34 crore on land owned by Prabhuram Mills under the Kerala State Textile Corporation. Once operational, the facility will have the capacity to process 80 tonnes of paddy a day and 24,000 tonnes annually. As part of the project, two flat-bottom silos with a combined capacity of 5,000 tonnes and two hopper-bottom silos with a total capacity of 1,000 tonnes will be built to store procured paddy.
The project is expected to give a major boost to paddy cultivation, procurement and processing in the region. Paddy procured from Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Kollam districts, including Kuttanad and Upper Kuttanad, will be processed at the facility.
The park will enable the government to procure paddy directly from farmers, bypassing private mills, and market Kuttanad brand rice. In addition to rice, the plan is to produce rice flour, rice flakes, and canned food at the facility. The government has also announced plans to market the Kuttanad brand rice and other products overseas.
The project is implemented with technical support from the Central Food Technological Research Institute and Defence Food Research Laboratory.
Published – July 31, 2025 05:28 pm IST
