Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday that an integrated agricultural university will be established in the agriculture-based Mandya district.
The university will offer courses in agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry and will provide guidance and encouragement to farmers in Mandya, Hassan, Mysore and Chamarajanagar areas for organic and grain farming, he said.
The CM was speaking at the inaugural event of the International Trade Fair Organic and Grain 2025 here, which will be on till January 25.
Siddaramaiah also urged the union government to implement the MSP , which has been a long-standing demand of farmers.
“India is an agricultural country and we are self-sufficient in food production. When the country gained independence, there was a shortage of food. But now, it is a matter of pride that India is exporting many food grains,” the CM said.
Recalling that his family, which belongs to an agricultural family, also used to cultivate grains, the CM said Karnataka is number three in the country when it comes to grain production.
“The central and state governments have given great emphasis to the production of grains in India. An estimated 903.61 lakh tonne of grains is produced in the world, of which 38.50 per cent is our country, making it the world’s largest grain producer,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said to expand the grain sector in the state, farmers who grow important grains such as oodalu , navane , haraka , korale , saame and baragu crops are being given an incentive of ₹10,000 per hectare, up to a maximum of two hectares, under the “Rayath Siri” scheme.
According to him, India is ranked second in the world in organic farming area and first in total organic producers.
“India’s total organic exports are 2.61 lakh tonne, out of which about ₹4,008 crore is earned from organic food exports,” he said.
Karnataka brought out a revised “Organic Agriculture Policy” in 2017 with the aim of creating a systematic market and supply chain for organic and grains, Siddaramaiah said.
To provide a suitable market and better price for the sale of organic products of the state, 15 provincial organic federations have been formed by bringing together the organic farmers’ associations of the state, he said.
“From the next financial year, a marketing system will be set up in MCs for the sale of organic products of the state,” he promised.
In 2013, the state launched “Organic Bhagya Yojana” to create awareness among the farmers about the organic farming system, he said.
“Model organic villages were established at the hobli level and farmers were encouraged to unite,” he added.
The hobli is a cluster of adjoining villages administered together for tax and land tenure purposes in Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah also said research centres related to organic and cereal farming have been established in the agricultural universities of the state.
He pointed out that the central government has given a letter of appreciation to the Agriculture Department of Karnataka in recognition of the special efforts undertaken by the state government in the promotion of cereals.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
