Vegetable Development Programme (under Subhiksha Keralam)

Why it matters

Get free vegetable seed kits and seedlings, plus subsidy of up to ₹37,000, to grow safe-to-eat vegetables at home or in clusters.

What you get

Implemented under the larger Subhiksha Keralam mission, the Vegetable Development Programme aims to boost vegetable production and self-sufficiency in Kerala through safe-to-eat cultivation practices. It runs in mission mode involving the Agriculture Department, VFPCK (Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam), Horticorp, State Horticulture Mission, PACS, FPOs, Kerala Agricultural University and Local Self-Government Departments. For homestead cultivation, the programme distributes vegetable seed kits and seedlings — including perennial vegetables like breadfruit, agathi, drumstick (muringa) and curry leaves alongside cool-season vegetables. For cluster-based commercial cultivation, farmers can receive a subsidy of up to ₹37,000, with the land owner separately eligible for ₹3,000. The FY2024-25 budget allocated ₹7,845 lakh to the programme overall (₹2,500 lakh for cluster cultivation and ₹1,350 lakh for homestead cultivation), helping push Kerala's vegetable production to 17.2 lakh metric tonnes by 2023-24, up from cultivation on just 46,500 hectares in 2015-16 to over 1,02,484 hectares by 2025.

Eligibility criteria

• Resident of Kerala interested in homestead or cluster-based vegetable cultivation
• For the cluster cultivation subsidy, must be part of a registered farmer cluster/Padasekhara-type group
• Homestead beneficiaries need only a small kitchen-garden plot to receive seed kits

How to apply

1. 1

   Register at the local Krishi Bhavan for either homestead seed-kit distribution or cluster cultivation

2. 2

   For cluster cultivation, join or form a farmer group recognised by the Krishi Bhavan/VFPCK

3. 3

   Receive seed kits/seedlings (homestead) or subsidy disbursement (cluster) as per the programme cycle

Documents required

• Aadhaar card
• Ration card (for homestead kit eligibility in some local body schemes)
• Land records (for cluster subsidy)
• Bank passbook