The farm land in Karnataka has shrunk by six lakh hectares in the past a decade, according to T.N. Prakash Kammaradi, chairman of the Karnataka State Agriculture Price Commission.
Addressing the media here on Tuesday, he said such lands are now being used for other purposes. But the area under sugarcane and arecanut cultivation has gone up by 117 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, during the last decade. Maize cultivation has gone up by 43 per cent.
He said that the commission has prepared a report on the shift in cropping pattern in Karnataka in the last a decade, and it will be submitted to the State government in a few days. Stating that it was a “trend report” on the farming sector in the State, he said it has recorded changes in the cropping pattern of 28 agricultural crops and 23 horticultural crops. He said that areas under finger millet and paddy have declined by 25 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively.
Referring to Dakshina Kannada, he said that the area under agriculture in the district has come down by nine per cent (by 5,193 hectares) in the past decade. The area under paddy has declined by eight per cent.
Mr. Kammaradi said that the area under arecanut and coconut has gone up by 9,000 hectares and 2,127 hectares, respectively, in the past decade, while the area under cashew has gone up by 17 per cent, and that under mango down by 12 per cent.
The total area under horticultural crops has gone up by 17,306 hectares, he said.
Workshop
The commission, in association with other departments, will organise a two-day seminar on sustainable income through integrated farming in Mangaluru in the last week of October, Mr. Kammaradi said.
He added that integrated farming with multiple crops ensures sustainable income.
He said the proceedings of the workshop would be sent to the government with a recommendation to introduce a scheme on integrated farming in the next State Budget, choosing Dakshina Kannada as the pilot district.
Up and Down
Sugarcane area:
Up 117 per cent
Arecanut area:
Up 40 per cent
Maize area:
Up 43 per cent
Cashes area:
Up 17 per cent
Finger millet area: Down 11 per cent
Paddy area:
Down 11 per cent
Mango area:
Down 12 per cent
