BENGALURU: Stating that that agriculture is the engine of the nation’s economic growth, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has urged the Centre to bring more farmer-centric policies.
Speaking at the Conference of State Agriculture and Horticulture ministers of the country, Bommai said there are several sectors including IT and BT, but it is agriculture which is the engine of economic growth for the nation.
Pointing out the need for more investment in the agriculture sector, he said, “More farmer-centric policies from the Union government are needed.”
Bommai also announced for the first time in the country, that Karnataka is setting up ‘Ksheera Bank’ exclusively for dairy farmers to provide loans at low-interest rates for farmers.
The CM said that agriculture did not get the priority it deserved in the first three five-year plans. Though agriculture technology has advanced, the condition of farmers has not, he noted.
“Agriculture is not just a sector, it is a culture of the country, it is the backbone of the nation’s brotherhood. A 1 per cent growth in agriculture results in 4 per cent growth in the manufacturing sector and 10 per cent growth in the service sector,” Bommai said.
“Apart from taking the economy ahead, agriculture provides food security for the country. India lacked food security with a population of 33 crore when the country attained independence. Now, though we are a country of 130 crore people, we have attained food security. It has been made possible because of the hard work of our farmers, farm scientists and the vision of our Prime Minister Modi,” Bommai said.
Referring to the farm scenario in the state, Bommai said Karnataka has 10 agro-climatic regions, and, as a result, the state achieved 10 per cent growth in agriculture even during the Covid-19 crisis. He stressed the need for digitization in the farm sector. Karnataka is at the forefront in this regard and digitised all its land records two decades ago. The land records software being used in the state could be utilised by other states too, he said.
He lauded the watershed programme of the Union government for reducing the aspect of soil erosion in agriculture. “The ‘Bhoochetana’ programme, introduced by former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, was a great success in preserving soil fertility. Our government has decided to reintroduce the programme”, Bommai said.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Health and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandavya, Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje, Kailash Chowdhry, State Agriculture Minister B C Patil and Horticulture Minister Muniratna were present. (ANI)