The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘We can heave a sigh of relief’

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Thursday, Jul 09, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘We can heave a sigh of relief’

Special Correspondent

Chief Minister says sowing has begun in 75 per cent of farmland

Only 50 per cent of agricultural produce brought to APMC yards
APMC transactions account for more than Rs. 20 crore a year

BANGALORE: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has heaved a sigh of relief over the good rainfall in different parts of the State during the last few days.

The month-long delay in the arrival of southwest monsoon had become a cause for serious concern with the bone-dry reservoirs unable to either generate electricity or meet the irrigation requirements of farmers.

“A fortnight ago, we were not at ease with the prevailing situation. But, the State has been receiving good rains during the last few days. Sowing operations had begun in 70 to 75 per cent of the agricultural land. The reservoirs are filling up. We all can heave a sigh of relief now,” Mr. Yeddyurappa said after inaugurating a two-day State level conference of Agricultural Produce Marketing Corporation’s (APMC) president, vice-president and members here on Wednesday.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said that only 50 per cent of the agricultural produce was brought to the APMC yards by the farmers for marketing. “It is time the Government and officials introspected why the entire 100 per cent is not brought to the markets by the farmers. We have to introspect why we have not been able to free the farmer from the clutches of the middleman,” the Chief Minister said.

He called upon the APMC representatives and the subject experts to suggest ways and means to prevent exploitation of farmers. “On my part, I will try to implement the recommendations made by you to the Government after the conference”, he said.

Promoting farming

He said there was a need to make agriculture a remunerative occupation so that youth from the villages do not migrate to urban areas in search of employment. “There is a need to ensure that the youth stay on in the villages and strive for the development of the rural areas and build the country on the lines of Gandhiji’s vision of Ramarajya,” he said.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said more than four crore people in the State were engaged in agriculture and the transactions at Agricultural Produce Marketing Corporations (APMC) yards accounted for more than Rs. 20 crore annually.

Earlier, Minister for Medical Education Ramachandra Gowda inaugurated the website of APMC http://krishimaratavahini.kar.nic.in to provide information on various aspects of agricultural marketing. “So far only market prices and arrival information were being provided online. Now, along with this, schemes and activities of the Department, besides name and addresses of traders, exporters, importers, market profiles and a whole lot of information on various aspects of agricultural marketing will be available in the revised website”, he said.

Minister for Agricultural Marketing Mr Shivaraj Thangadagi and Minister for Agriculture Ravindranath spoke.

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