Promote research to develop agriculture: CM

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said there was a need to promote research in the field of agriculture to ensure development in that sector.

Speaking on the second day of Krishi Mela at the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore on Thursday, he said the Agriculture department should not limit its focus to distribution of manure and seeds to farmers besides selling their produce. “There is a need to promote extension activities and research,” he told Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda.

Sceptical about the functioning of the department, he asked if the statistics provided by them were reliable. “There is a need to conduct a comprehensive survey to understand ground reality,” he added.

As the chief minister pointed out that the State stood second in dry farming, one of the farmers in the audience was quick to point out that it had reached the first place.

Appreciating farmer Puttappa from Mahadevapura, who was awarded the State-level Dr C N Dwarakanath award, he said, “Even as the price of each acre of land was Rs 2 crore at his place, the man had still kept his two acres for farming.”

K M Prabhakar, Assistant director, Sericulture department was given the best Extention Officer award for the year.