Presiding over a meeting of Agriculture Development Committee here on Monday, the minister said farmers in the drought-hit district were dependent on vagaries of weather and truant rains. The agriculture land in the district has been losing fertility for the past three decades. Natural and organic farming are yet to gain ground and the attention of the farmers should be drawn towards the improved and effective of farming practices.
Production of food grains is not in proportion to the burgeoning population.
Consequently, the demand-supply gap has been widening pushing the prices northwards. The agricultural yield too has been dwindling, compounding the problem further, he noted.
The minister advised the farmers not to leave their land fallow and avail all the facilities provided by the government.Farmers have come under the spell of urbanisation and are gradually losing interest in rural life. The trend need to be arrested. Farmers should follow scientific method of farming to get better yields. “A system should be put in place wherein farmers can seek the assistance of the government to seek redress of their problems.”
Legislator K P Bache Gowda said the officials of Agriculture Department were being trained in increasing the farm yield in dry lands. The officials taking part in such workshops should keep the welfare of the farmers in focus.
Deleterious effect
Reckless use of chemical fertilisers has been casting deleterious effect on the environment. It has also been a cause for crop loss. Farmers should be educated on this aspect and made to take up organic and natural farming, the MLA said.
University of Agricultural Sciences former chancellor Dwarakanath said experiments were being carried out on dry land farming in Chintamani taluk. Farmers in few villages of Tamil Nadu have adopted the practice and are reaping the benefits. The project has been taken up in Kolar and Dharwad districts in the State and would help the farmers in the dry areas.
The problem of food scarcity has been assuming grave proportion due to decrease in the farm productivity. Farmers, who are turning to cities should reverse their decision and evince interest in agriculture. They should focus on farming in dry areas as much as they do on irrigated lands, he suggested.
DC Anwar Pasha, Additional Deputy Commissioner G S Nayak, ZPt vice-president Chenduru Venkatesh, CEO N Krishnappa, Tahsildar Purnima, and others were present.