<p>Infrastructure development projects gained pace as soon as the visit of the Chief Minister was confirmed. B S Yeddyurappa will dine at the house of M P Siddalingappa, an organic farmer, on Saturday.<br /><br />Walls of the house have been painted afresh and a Western-style toilet is being constructed for the VIP guest. The narrow stretch of the road leading to the house has been widened by laying concrete up to front yard of the house. <br />The hosts - Siddalingappa and his wife Aparna - have extended invitation to all their relatives. A purely ‘organic menu’ - food prepared using vegetables grown under organic farming has been listed out for the Chief Minister.<br /><br />As many as 108 families out of 170 in Makanahalli, 18 km from Tumkur, have taken up organic farming. With the rest of the families evincing interest in taking up the eco-friendly farming, the Agriculture Department has declared Makanahalli as ‘Organic Farming Village.’ A financial grant of Rs nine lakh has been released to the village. Paddy, ragi, urad, tur, seasame are being grown under organic method. Farming has become profitable with farmers taking up subsidiary occupations like apiary and animal husbandry.<br /><br />Speaking to Deccan Herald, Siddalingappa attributed his interest in organic farming to ‘Krishi Darshana,’ a section in ‘Karnataka Darshana’ supplement of Prajavani. <br />“I began to experiment with organic farming inspired by the articles in the supplement. Participation in workshops of Subhash Palkear came in handy. I don’t miss the ‘Krishi Darshana,’ and make it a point to read it always,” he said.<br /><br />No to fertiliser <br />Siddalingappa said 75 per cent of his 40-acre plot has been brought under organic farming and he has taken up natural farming in rest of the area. He said he has not purchased fertiliser in the last three years and felt that agriculture can be a profitable venture if practised with proper crop pattern and market intelligence.<br />The Chief Minister will interact with Siddalingappa and his family and also with farmers who have taken up organic farming. He will later visit organic plots and plant saplings. After having lunch at Siddalingappa’s house, he will inaugurate Organic Farming Produces’ stall in Tumkur. <br /><br />Agriculture Minister S A Ravindranath, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Jagadish Shettar and others will accompany the Chief Minister.<br />DH News Service</p>
<p>Infrastructure development projects gained pace as soon as the visit of the Chief Minister was confirmed. B S Yeddyurappa will dine at the house of M P Siddalingappa, an organic farmer, on Saturday.<br /><br />Walls of the house have been painted afresh and a Western-style toilet is being constructed for the VIP guest. The narrow stretch of the road leading to the house has been widened by laying concrete up to front yard of the house. <br />The hosts - Siddalingappa and his wife Aparna - have extended invitation to all their relatives. A purely ‘organic menu’ - food prepared using vegetables grown under organic farming has been listed out for the Chief Minister.<br /><br />As many as 108 families out of 170 in Makanahalli, 18 km from Tumkur, have taken up organic farming. With the rest of the families evincing interest in taking up the eco-friendly farming, the Agriculture Department has declared Makanahalli as ‘Organic Farming Village.’ A financial grant of Rs nine lakh has been released to the village. Paddy, ragi, urad, tur, seasame are being grown under organic method. Farming has become profitable with farmers taking up subsidiary occupations like apiary and animal husbandry.<br /><br />Speaking to Deccan Herald, Siddalingappa attributed his interest in organic farming to ‘Krishi Darshana,’ a section in ‘Karnataka Darshana’ supplement of Prajavani. <br />“I began to experiment with organic farming inspired by the articles in the supplement. Participation in workshops of Subhash Palkear came in handy. I don’t miss the ‘Krishi Darshana,’ and make it a point to read it always,” he said.<br /><br />No to fertiliser <br />Siddalingappa said 75 per cent of his 40-acre plot has been brought under organic farming and he has taken up natural farming in rest of the area. He said he has not purchased fertiliser in the last three years and felt that agriculture can be a profitable venture if practised with proper crop pattern and market intelligence.<br />The Chief Minister will interact with Siddalingappa and his family and also with farmers who have taken up organic farming. He will later visit organic plots and plant saplings. After having lunch at Siddalingappa’s house, he will inaugurate Organic Farming Produces’ stall in Tumkur. <br /><br />Agriculture Minister S A Ravindranath, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Jagadish Shettar and others will accompany the Chief Minister.<br />DH News Service</p>
