Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Friday that the government had extended the scheme of digging of agricultural pits to the Malnad and coastal districts from this year.
He was speaking after inaugurating a new building and hostel of the Diploma College of Agriculture, affiliated to the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, built at a cost of ₹9.6 crore here.
Earlier, Mr. Gowda inaugurated the Raitha Samparka Kendra behind the office of the Assistant Director of Agriculture at Adiudupi in Udupi. Mr. Gowda said the government had taken this measure because the districts in Malnad and coastal districts had suffered from rain deficiency owing to climate change.
Some of them were even declared drought-hit. The farmers could dig agricultural pits in their own fields. This would help them conserve water for summer and increase the water table. If the pit was large enough, they could even rear fish and sell it.
The government wanted the Raitha Samparka Kendras to function in its own buildings.
Of the 745 kendras, 150 were functioning in their own buildings, and the rest in private buildings.
In the last four years, the government had constructed 300 buildings for the kendras at a cost of ₹40 lakh to ₹45 lakh each. These buildings were constructed with a loan from NABARD. The demand for starting an agricultural college in the 350-acre campus belonging to the Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station here would be considered, he said.
Farmers should take to mechanisation as this would reduce their dependence on labour and bring down costs by 30%.
