K’taka to create interaction platform for solving cropping pattern issues
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
March 26 , 2015
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Karnataka government is now working on the possibility of creating a
farmer interaction platform to solve cropping pattern issues.
According
to the state agriculture department, there is a proposal to launch
Krishi Abhiyaana to interact with farmers and resolve issues pertaining
to their cropping plans for the season, at the onset of monsoon and
kharif seasons. During this period, all the staff of agriculture and
allied departments, will go to the hoblis (village cluster), along with
agriculture university scientists on specified days.
In order to
provide convenient access to farmers and ensure an integrated approach,
the government would insist that staff of departments of agriculture,
horticulture, animal husbandry and sericulture would work under one roof
in Raitha Samparka Kendras at the hobli level, according to some
officials related to the development.
In this regard, the state
government in its budget allocation had provided a total of Rs 3,883
crore to the department of agriculture, stated the officials.
The
‘Krishi Bhagya’ scheme, which is already implemented, would support
rain-dependent farmers in five major dry agro climatic zones, covering
129 talukas of 25 districts at a total cost of Rs 500 crore. This
year, as part of the Krishi Bhagya programme, a special package is
offered to 23 talukas in seven districts, which are affected by drought
for four years continuously. The government would provide drip or
sprinkler irrigation along with fertigation and polyhouses for these
areas that have been critically affected by drought in recent years,
stated the officials.
The government is also implementing a
certification process, by establishing a federation to develop marketing
linkages. This, according to the department of agriculture, would
provide a fillip to farmer revenue generation.
There will also be
278 service centres for farmers to rent mechanical equipments. The
government’s ‘Raitha Mitra’ card and ‘Soil Health’ card will be
distributed to each farmer by establishing K-Kisan electronic platform
at Raitha Samparka Kendras level. This will ensure systematic soil
nutritional support system for all farmers and has targeted to cover all
farmers in the next three years.
Further, the department would
establish a digital library and decision support system for scientific
watershed management. Under this comprehensive data relating to climatic
variability would help to strengthen and sustain development of local
watershed organisations.
On the horticulture front, the
government has provided funding of Rs 768 crore for 2015-16. Farmers
will be given the services of higher value mechanisation tools in
horticulture by strengthening the custom hiring centres. High priority
will be given for the development of HOPCOMS (Horticultural Producers’
Co-operative Marketing and Processing Society Ltd). In order to ensure
regular access to qualified workforce, the government will establish a
horticulture college in Devi Hosur village of Haveri taluk. Glasshouses
will be built in Kuppanna Garden, Mysuru; Shamanuru village of
Davanagere district; and in Ballari. These are regions known for mango,
pineapple, grapes and pomegranate orchards.
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