Mangalore: Govt plans training on organic farming

[S.Annadana]

MANGALORE, August 11, 2008: To promote organic farming in Karnataka, Minister for Horticulture S. K. Bellubbi said the Government is contemplating providing training to farming community on organic farming.

In the State budget for 2008-09, the Government has decided to grant Rs. 1,000 to each small and marginal farmer of rainfed areas to take up organic farming in the State. About 54 lakh farmers who have been cultivating 44 lakh hectares of land would benefit from the scheme.
The recent fertilizers crisis caused farmers’ protests in various parts of Karnataka and this forced the Government to promote natural farming in the State.

Mr Bellubi, who was speaking at the concluding day conference on a seminar on arecanut here, said that increased use of fertilisers, pesticides and hybrid variety of seeds caused farmers’ distress and decline in soil productivity. The government has mooted the plant to promote natural farming in all parts of the State, he said.

The conference passed 31 resolutions. Arecanut Research and Development Foundation, Mangalore, had organised the conference.

Minister for Ports and Inland Water Transport, Ecology and Environment Krishna Palemar said despite existence of several research institutes in the State, “kole roga” for arecanut plantations has not been controlled. Arecanut is one of the major commercial crops of the State. The farmers have been using copper sulphate and lime mixture spray to control the disease, he said and called upon the farm scientists to find out an alternative pesticide to control diseases.

Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Limited Director Karunakara Nambiyar stressed the importance of having data on area under arecanut crop, total output and prices.

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