'Agri budget aimed at attracting youth to farming'

 With more number of farmers drifting away from agriculture due to the lack of basic facilities, the government has presented a separate agriculture budget to retain farmers in the farming sector, said District-in-Charge Minister Appachu Ranjan.

He was delivering presidential address at Krishi Utsav jointly organised by Krishi Utsava Management Committee, Taluk Panchayat, Pragathi Bandhu SHG, at Balagunda village near Somwarpet on Monday. He gave a call to the farmers to have knowledge of various government schemes that are exclusively designed for the welfare of farmers. The new generation youth lack interest in farming and are turning their faces towards the urban life. But the situation will change and the same youth will return to villages to take up agriculture, Appachu Ranjan hoped.

He said “the small farmers should cultivate crops that are suitable for the local climate. The crops should be grown and supplied based on the public demand.”

Inaugurating the Krishi Utsav, national award winning progressive farmer Nirmala Prakash expressed concern over the increased use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture.

Understanding the impact of these harmful chemicals, the farmers should come forward to adopt organic farming, she said.

Zilla Panchayat President B Shivappa, Taluk Panchayat President G B Somaiah, Sri Kshetra Dharmastala Rural Development Project Director Radhakrishna Rao and others were present.