The Kalaburagi unit of the Krishik Samaj has demanded the state government to establish a Horticulture College in Kalaburagi district to provide new avenues for increasing the area under the horticulture cultivation.
Siddaramappa Patil Dangapur, President of the Krishik Samaj told presspersons in Kalaburagi on Wednesday that despite the best efforts and the conducive climate and land for taking up the cultivation of the horticulture crop, the area under the Horticutue has remained just over 23,400 hectares in the district.
Mr. Dangapur said that the existing crop insurance scheme was not beneficial to the farmers and the state cabinet which is meeting in Kalaburagi city on November 28 should take a decision to recommend to the union government to scrap the existing crop insurance scheme and replace it with a scientifically prepared crop insurance scheme which is beneficial to the farmers and compensated adequately the farmers who had lost their crops due to various reasons including the vagaries of the weather.
He said that a mechanism should also come in force to ensure immediate payment of compensation to the farmers who had lost their crops due to the natural calamities and the payment of compensation from the insurance companies at the earliest. Mr. Dangapure wanted the government to fix Rs. 6,500 per quintal as the procurement price of the Red Gram taking into account the increasing cost of cultivation and labour cost.
Mr. Dangapur said that the existing Agriculture Research Station of the UAS, Raichur in Kalaburagi should be upgraded as a centre for excellence in research and development activities of the pulses.
