The Centre is drawing up schemes with a view to doubling the income of farmers by 2022, Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda has said.
He said area under areca nut cultivation had witnessed a quantum jump over the years.
While the area of areca nut farming in 1956-57 was 94,800 hectares, the cultivation had increased to 4.72 lakh hectares in 2015-16 despite the limited export potential of the commodity, Mr. Gowda said.
The agriculture sector contributed 17% of GDP, he said adding that the sector provided employment to 54% of the population.
The total allocation for the rural, agriculture, and allied sectors in 2017-18 was ₹1,87,223 crore, which was 24% higher than the previous year.
Mr. Gowda later inaugurated a ‘Kisan Mela’ hosted by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) to mark the centenary of its foundation day here on Monday.
He said the Centre, as per the recently launched Soil Health Card Scheme, provided soil cards to farmers to help them improve productivity through judicious use of inputs.
As many as 9.91 crore soil health cards had been distributed to farmers, he added.
The Centre had launched Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana to promote organic farming while Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana was initiated to provide holistic solutions in irrigation supply chain.
Mr. Gowda earlier released a commemorative postal stamp on the CPCRI in the presence of Post Master General (northern Region) S.F.H. Rizvi.
He felicitated three farmers – Sibi Joseph of Balal village here (Coconut), Rama Kishore of Karnataka’s Bantwal (areca nut), and Vishwanath Rao of Sullia (cocoa) - at the function.
Among those who addressed the function included A.K. Singh, Deputy Director General, Horticulture, ICAR; P. Karunakaran, MP; N.A. Nellikkunnu, MLA; district panchayat president A.G.C. Basheer; CPCRI Director P. Chowdappa; and Principal Scientist C. Thamban.
