Government bats for community farming

Agriculture Minister N H Shivashankar Reddy has said that the government is keen to encourage community farming under the Israel model of cultivation being taken up on a pilot basis in the state.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating 4-day krishi mela at University of Agricultural Sciences here on Sunday,

The input cost in agriculture has increased manifold while the returns have come down drastically. In a bid to address the issue, the government is planning to form small groups of farmers, consisting of 15 to 20 members, and encourage them to take up community farming on 2,000 to 4,000 hectares. The government can help the farmers by providing the latest technology, he added.

The Israel model of farming can be a success only if community farming is adopted, and drip irrigation and micro-irrigation facilities are implemented by the farmers, he added.