Keralam looks to expand global market for forest produce adopt modern tech

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 12 (PTI) Keralam Minister Shibu Baby John on Thursday said the state was looking to expand the global market for its forest produce and adopt modern technologies for conservation, drawing on practices he observed during a visit to Meghalaya.

    In a Facebook post, the Forest minister said he visited institutions in Meghalaya and held discussions with senior officials to study their best practices.

    He visited the showroom of ‘Meghalaya Collective’, a cooperative-sector initiative that procures forest produce from the state and markets it internationally in collaboration with leading global brands.

    John said he discussed with its officials the possibility of developing a similar model in Keralam to market the state's forest produce under globally recognised brands.

    John visited the Integrated Forest Management System, a war-room facility developed by the Meghalaya forest department to monitor forests and coordinate emergency response measures. Senior officials explained how it worked, he said.

    “Efforts are continuing to take the forests and forest produce of Keralam to greater heights by adopting modern technologies and effective marketing models,” he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)