Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday instructed the officials to ensure that there is no shortage of sowing seeds and fertilisers for the current kharif sowing season.
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The CM chaired a high level meeting to review the implementation of budget programmes in the agriculture sector and said 1.26 lakh tonnes of DAP was available in the State as on May 31. In all about 7.64 lakh tonnes of fertilizers were available. “The officials should oversee the supply and stocks and take all precautionary measures against creation of artificial scarcity,” Mr Bommai ordered.
Similarly about 7.81 lakh quintals of sowing seeds were available, which was more than the requirement. But stringent precautionary measures need to be taken to curb the menace of spurious sowing seeds. Action should be taken to avoid any lapses in this regard. Stringent measures should be taken against suppliers of spurious seeds, Mr. Bommai instructed.
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The State has set a sowing target of 114.54 lakh hectares for the kharif season. The CM wanted at least 1 lakh hectares of dry and marsh lands to be made cultivable this year.
With the land already allocated for setting up modern cocoon markets in Kalaburagi and Haveri, Mr. Bommai instructed officials to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) within a month. He asked them to submit the proposal for upgrading the cocoon market in the Sidlaghatta.
The meeting discussed setting up of cold storages at Devanahalli, Maddur and Ranebennur.