Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar formally launched the `200 crore ‘Karnataka Amrithabhoomi Project’, aimed at promoting organic farming in the state, on Saturday. Speaking after launching the programme in the Vidhana Soudha, the CM announced that the project would be implemented on the lines of the Organic Farming Mission.
He said that the Amrithabhoomi project is an integrated project in which organic farming would be supported in a big way including supplying organic seeds, fertilisers, fodder development, construction of percolation tanks and providing marketing facilities for the products. “Amritha Dasohi, the first of its kind outlet in which all the organic food products would be made available, would be formally opened at Vidhana Soudha and later in many other places in the state,” he stated.
He claimed that `200 crore earmarked for the project this year is “the largest ever allocation made towards promoting the organic farming in the entire country.” In the first year, over four lakh hectares of agriculture land would be brought under organic farming. As many as 5,28,000 farmers would be roped in all the 175 taluks in the state for the purpose, he announced. He said that the Agriculture Department would identify 3,000 farmers in each taluk and it has earmarked over `146.04 crore for the first year.
Over 37,840 gobar gas plants, 17,600 granaries, 39,248 percolation tanks, 5,280 farm ponds would be created, he said. Also, 13,200 bore and open wells would also be taken up for rejuvenation and extending help to develop organic horticulture parks.
Former CM B S Yeddyurappa lauded the CM for responding to the plight of the farmers and waiving a farm loan up to `25,000 availed from the co-operative societies in the state.
He also appealed the CM to enhance the grants to Amrithabhoomi project from `200 crore to `1,000 crore.
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