The State government has appealed to the Union government to support its efforts on increasing the cultivation of millets ( ragi ) and jowar by extending the benefits of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to agricultural activities, said T.N. Prakash Kammaradi, chairman of the Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission here on Monday at a press conference, after holding a meeting with district-level officials.
The Area under millets and jowar cultivation was on the decline in Karnataka in the last 10 years.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
“The area under jowar and millets cultivation is decreasing by at least 25,000 ha each a year. If the same trend continues, we will not be able to see millets and jowar in the coming years. The fate of oil seeds and paddy is also similar,” he said.
He pointed out that one of the basic objectives of the MNREGA was “productive asset creation”.
Keeping this objective in perspective, promotion of millets and jowar cultivation was also productive asset creation. “We have submitted a proposal to the Union government in this regard.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Union government is also contemplating convergence of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and agriculture. Such a move will help the farming sector in a big way,” Dr. Kammaradi said.
The commission was aware of the dwindling interest on potato cultivation among farmers in Hassan district. The commission was planning to organise a workshop here to create awareness among potato-growers about the advantages of advanced technology and certification of seeds, he said. Deputy Commissioner Umesh H. Kusugal, zilla panchayat Chief Executive Officer U.P. Singh and officials of Horticulture and Agriculture departments were present at the meeting.