Kerala Opens Doors for Agri-Business Partnerships

KERA Invites Companies to Build Productive Alliances with Farmers

The Kerala Government, with support from the World Bank under the Kerala Climate Resilient Agri-Value Chain Modernization (KERA) Project, has launched a landmark initiative to build strong and sustainable partnerships between Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) and leading agri-business enterprises. The initiative invites applications from farm and non-farm based companies, agri-business firms, supermarket chains, exporters, and e-commerce platforms to collaborate with farmer collectives across Kerala. The objective is to create productive alliances that connect Kerala’s premium agricultural produce to local, national, and international markets, ensuring better price realization and assured market linkages for farmers.

As part of the programme, 150 Productive Alliances (PAs) will be established in three phases across three regions of the state. The first phase will focus on forming 50 alliances in the northern districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Malappuram. Under the KERA project, eligible companies will receive grants of up to 60 per cent of the total alliance cost, subject to a maximum of ₹2 crore, for production investments and business development activities. In addition, participating companies will benefit from three years of expert technical assistance.

Companies with a minimum annual turnover of ₹10 crore and a demonstrated commitment to working with Kerala’s farming communities are eligible to apply. Farmer Producer Companies with at least two years of operational experience, a minimum of 200 farmer members, and an annual turnover of ₹10 lakh are also encouraged to participate. Addressing a press conference at the Mangalore Press Club, Suresh C. Thampi, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Government of Kerala, and Procurement Officer of KERA, said that interested companies must submit their applications through the official portal :

https://pa.kera.kerala.gov.in/auth/login. For further details, he advised contacting +91 90378 24060.

The initiative is expected to strengthen Kerala’s agri-value chains, promote climate-resilient agriculture, and enhance income opportunities for farmers through strategic public-private collaboration.