Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that his government was committed to extending all possible assistance to farmers, who suffered crop losses owing to drought.
Mr. Siddaramaiah was speaking after inaugurating a four-day Krishi Mela on the premises of the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, here on Saturday.
According to a preliminary estimate, the total loss suffered due to drought in the State is around Rs. 16,000 crore. Of the 176 taluks in the State, 136 had been declared as drought-hit.
A sum of Rs. 3,600 crore was expected from the Union government to tackle the drought.
The officials had been directed to take up schemes like providing drinking water to affected villages and fodder for the cattle there, he said.
He said, there were fluctuations in the agricultural yields in recent times owing to climate change.
Farmers should change their cropping pattern and cultivation methods to tackle the present crisis. Agricultural scientists should provide necessary assistance to farmers in this regard, he said.
The approach towards agricultural research should change.
Agricultural scientists should not confine themselves to laboratories but conduct the research activities on the farm land, he said.
He expressed concern over the exodus of rural youths towards urban centres in search of employment opportunities.
The problem could be addressed by convincing the youths that agriculture was remunerative, if undertaken in a professional way. Youths should be motivated to adopt integrated farming practices. Along with agriculture, the youths should also take up dairy and poultry farming and pisciculture to enhance their income, he said.
Addressing the gathering, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs T.B. Jayachandra said that, the State Government would extend necessary assistance for research activities related to value addition for arecanut.
D.H, Shankaramurthy, chairman of State Legislative Council; Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister of State for Agriculture; K.B. Prasanna Kumar, Shivamogga MLA; Sharada Poorya Naik, Shivamogga Rural MLA; and C. Vasudevappa,Vice-Chancellor, were present.
The UAHS, Shivamogga felicitated progressive farmers from seven districts that came under its jurisdiction, as they had adopted innovative agricultural practices with best farmer award. Names of award winners are: Durgappa Angadi, Sararavalli village and Saroja, Nadakeppiga village (Shivamogga district), B.S. Anil Kumar, Bagur village and Sudharani, Bomberahalli village (Chitradurga district); N.S. Venkata Ramanjaneyaswamy, Saalakatte village and Indramma, Haaluvarthi village(Davangere district); Kumar, Pernaje village and Shobha, Amarapadanoor village (Dakshina Kannada district); H.R. Chandre Gowda, Lakshmipura village and Geetha, Koolagere village (Chikkamagaluru district); P. R. Subhash, Aravathokkalu village and Anitha, Bellur village (Kodagu district); U. Gururaja Bhat, Uliyur Majur village and Sharada, Kotatattu village(Udupi district).
