Composite agriculture models — through which arecanut, coconut, paddy and aquaculture is promoted — can be adopted in smaller holdings of land to generate good income for farmers, said Vice-Chancellor of University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, K. Narayana Gowda
Speaking at the three-day State-level Krishi Mela, which began here on Friday, Mr. Gowda said there had been a drastic decrease in produce of paddy, arecanut, coconut and cashew, the principal crops in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. Paddy was slowly being replaced by rubber, he said.
Mr. Gowda said the university was promoting composite agriculture models that provide good yield. “A couple (husband and wife), who graduated from our university is generating income of Rs. 4 lakh from their five acres.”
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He said a young agriculturist from Dakshina Kannada was getting income of Rs. 1.5 lakh from his three-acre land.
The Krishi Mela has stalls that exhibit composite agriculture models.
Mr. Gowda said farmers should associate with agriculture product producers. This would help farmers adopt technologies that reduced agriculture expenditure and provided better yield.
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Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said the State government would take all possible steps to protect interest of farmers growing arecanut.
He said Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad had assured the State government that an affidavit would be filed before the Supreme Court stating that consumption of arecanut was not harmful to body.
The government was trying to procure paddy from the farmers at a good price to meet requirement of rice for the popular Anna Bhagya scheme. Forest and District in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai inaugurated the Krishi Mela, which is being organised by the Srikshtra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project. Mr. Rai said people should not make baseless allegations against persons like Veerendra Heggade, who was working to uplift farmers.