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Karnataka to implement new agri policy and give horti industry status
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Monday, 09 March, 2020, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
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The Government of Karnataka will implement the new agriculture policy and accord industry status to horticulture. This was announced at the State Budget 2020-21.
“To encourage water security, land bank and mass cultivation, micro-irrigation, processing of farm produce and marketing, and also to consider agriculture and horticulture as an industry, our government will bring a new agricultural policy,” said chief minister B S Yediyurappa in his Budget presentation.
“It is proposed to start mobile agricultural health clinics for soil/water testing and other technical assistance in farming from time to time. These mobile units will visit villages, conduct soil/water testing on the spot and provide technical information relating to insecticides and diseases and will provide solution at the farmer’s doorsteps,” he said.
“Scientists have realised the disadvantages and dangers of chemical-based agriculture. Organic farming is the solution for the same. Nutrition obtained through chemicals can also be had from organic sources. In this regard, assistance will be provided to use water-dissolvable fertilisers, micro-nutrients, hydrogel, etc. Rs 200 crore will be provided to encourage organic farming,” Yediyurappa said.
Soil health programme is a subject of utmost priority. The state has distributed 163 lakh soil health cards to the farmers. The state will formulate a policy based on the recommendations of the Land Resource Registry, the availability of water and soil health cards to make farmers grow suitable region-wise crops, to use necessary seeds, chemical fertilisers and micro-nutrients.
Capacity development and awareness programmes will be launched to increase efficiency in use of water and manure and to increase agricultural productivity. In this direction, 40 demonstration centres will be developed, and demonstrations will be made to the farmers with regard to better agricultural practices, new technologies, post-harvest management, etc.
It is Karnataka’s priority to strengthen the food processing sector and to export agriculture-based produce. In association with agricultural federations, exporters, food
processing organisations and food processing enterprises, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), new technologies will be introduced with regard to value addition, processing, stocking and
packaging.
The government has allotted 787 acre of revenue land in Iruvakki village of Sagara Taluk. For the works of the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences of Shivamogga, established in the year 2012, Rs 155 crore has been allotted. This is a specialised comprehensive university involving agricultural, horticultural and forest sciences. This university is catering to the needs of the agriculturists of Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Davanagere, Chitradurga and Kodagu districts.
Karnataka has been acclaimed as the horticulture state of India. Under the horticultural extension programme, the sector has been increased to the extent of 32,000 hectare. Last year, horticulture crops were grown to the extent of 185 lakh tonne in 20 lakh hectare in the state.
To reduce the quantum of loss due to unsatisfactory post-harvest management of horticulture crops and the lack of cold storage, the state government announced 10 cold storages of 5,000 metric tonne capacity will be constructed with public private partnership with an expenditure of Rs 75 crore in the agricultural produce markets of districts where demand exists.
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