Farming as occupation is at dangerous juncture: ZP chief

“Farming as an occupation is at a dangerous juncture of time. Nobody wants agriculture because it is not feasible anymore,” said Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat President Santhosh Bhandary.

Inaugurating the Krishi Mela-09 organised by Krishi Vigyan Kendra Mangalore, Regional Agriculture Research Centre Kundapur, Horticulture Research Centre Ullal, College of Fisheries Mangalore and others at College of Fisheries, Bhandary said every farmer is talking of giving up farming because he has not been able to get returns for his hard work.

“Falling market price of agriculture produce has compelled farmers to give up farming and many who fail to put up with the burden end up giving up their lives,” he said and added that though Dakshina Kannada district has been the craddle of agriculture, the situation in this district is the same as well.

Sharing his own experience, he said how he had planted vanila plants shelling out thousands of rupees and ended up weeding it off from his plantation due to the falling market price.

Zilla Panchayat Agriculture Standing Committee President Sadananda Malli said that looking at the prevailing situations it feels as though farming is going to stop in the region soon. “People who are dependent only on agriculture for livelihood are in miserable state while those who have kept farming as a side business are quite well to do,” he said.

District Krishika Samaja President S D Sampath Samrajya said that whenever the crops fail, there is a huge hue and cry for support price but farmer organisations or agriculture research centres can do nothing with regard to the support price because it is the policy issue but scientists and researchers can certainly propose new techniques and fertlisers to increase production.

South Canara Agriculture DevelopmentCo-operative Society President Pelapar Venkataramana Bhat said that shortage of farm labourers is the biggest problem faced by the farmers at present.

He said that farmers should strive to reduce the production cost by going for mechanisation.

Dr M Hanumanthappa from Regional Agriculture Research Centre Kundapur presided over the programme.

SKDRDP Official Vijay Kumar Naganal, Vijaya Rural Development Foundation Executive Officer Parthasarathi and others were present on the occasion.

Mela had stalls on various varieties of plants, fertilisers, machineries etc put up for the awareness of the farmers.