Karnataka Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil officially inaugurated Krishi Mela at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) Dharwad on Sunday.
During the Krishi mela, he told that the Karnataka government intends to provide farmers using tractors with diesel subsidies just as those provided to the fishermen.
"Farmers who own up to five acres of land will receive a subsidy of Rs 25 per liter for 10 liters of diesel under the Raitha Shakti scheme. According to statistics, a farmer must use 25 liters of diesel to till all of his fields up to harvest. Each farmer will receive a subsidy of Rs 1,250 from the government as a fuel subsidy. This subsidy program, which will be implemented very soon, will benefit 69 lakh farmers in total," he added.
Patil further said that farmers should start their industries and turn farming into a profitable sector. To guarantee this, the government would focus on the value-addition of crops. The minister added that this is the secret to increasing farmers' income.
In order to increase their revenue, he urged farmers to use newer technologies rather than stay with age-old traditional methods of cultivation.
Patil said the government is funding research into how to help farmers in fighting climate change. Agricultural universities all around the state are developing improved farm equipment and new crop varieties.
He mentioned that the government was funding agricultural institutions and their research centers, which would focus on strategies and tactics that may aid farmers in fighting climate change.
"These include cutting-edge research on crops resistant to salinity and drought so that farmers do not suffer losses as a result of climate change. To get high yields, producers should become knowledgeable about the shifting agriculture scenario and use enhanced seed quality varieties,” he said.
"Today's youth should be interested in agriculture and use cutting-edge technologies like agricultural value-adding in order to raise their living standards. Universities and the government are collecting success stories of some progressive farmers who have increased their income by more than three folds in the last year. Such stories need to inspire the next generation of farmers to develop as entrepreneurs, he added.
It is not true that agriculture is loss-making. He said that to earn money, high-yielding crops and new technology should be cultivated. The State is experiencing an excess of rainfall due to the altered rainfall pattern. Every year, losses are caused by the spoilsport of heavy rains.
"A collaborative survey report on crop loss has recently been finished. The government has allocated 400 crores for agricultural loss relief in light of that. The Central government will release more funds, once the central team that inspected crop loss submits its report,’’ he said.
Amrut Desai, a member of the Legislative Assembly, Tavanappa Astagi, the chairman of the Bayalu Seme Development Board, R. Basavarajappa, the acting vice chancellor of UAS, and others were also present.
