Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday said that loan waiver for farmers is not a permanent solution for farmers in distress, instead they should be made financially stable. Kumaraswamy was speaking after inaugurating the three-day International Organic and Millet Fair, in Bengaluru. “By loan waivers, farmers will not get a remedy. They should be prepared for distress.
As a step towards enhancing their stability, the state government has already geared up to adopt Israeli farming technology, where they analyse what crop should be grown on a piece of land, based on the rain pattern the land has seen in the last 20 years. Our government is committed to help farmers get profits from their farming, we just need their cooperation,’’ he said.
Further, the CM said that in today’s agriculture system, farmers are in distress because they are not getting the required support price.
“For that, there is a need to change the system, by adopting millets. This is challenging. In order to help them, we are proposing that millets be used in mid-day meals and Indira
canteens,’’ he said.
Rural Development and Panchayath Raj Minister, Krishna Byregowda said Karnataka is a pioneer in encouraging farmers to grow millets. “We have set the trend, not just for India, but for the globe. Now, the United Nations has agreed to observe 2023 as the Year of Millets. Millet is the future and it is called as
smart food of the 21st century,’’ he added.
Agencies
