MYSURU: Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shobha Karandlaje said the Union government will spend Rs 1 lakh crore to set up laboratories in all the districts of the country and improve agriculture infrastructure.
She said the laboratories will help in examining the quality of seeds and food products as people from across the state depend on labs in Mysuru and Bengaluru. Inaugurating a seminar on importance of millet at Sri Shivarathri Shivayogi Jatra festival here on Saturday, Shobha said the government will use agriculture mission funds to set up labs as the Central government has set aside Rs 1.32 lakh crore in the budget besides separate funds to improve basic infrastructure like building cold storages, markets
and warehouses across the country.
Referring to farmers dumping tomatoes and other produce on the roads and fields whenever there is a crash in price, she said cold storages will help them stock and preserve the crop until prices stabilise.
She informed that the Central government is willing to offer 50 per cent subsidy to set up such units.
The Union Minister said progressive farmers and women self-help groups under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana will fund them to buy machinery for value addition. She reminded the gathering that the world is celebrating the International Year of Millets when India has assumed the G-20 presidency and is organising more than 200 events.
She said one meeting of G-20 will also be held in Mysuru and India should create an international market for millets. The country is growing 345 million tonne of fruits, vegetables and grains and it should focus on marketing the surplus produce in the rest of the world.
Stating that 20 per cent of millet is exported, she felt that there is a demand for quality food products. “Farmer-producer groups should join hands to provide quality products which will have a greater scope in the international market,” she added.
FUND WILL BE GENERATED TO BUY MACHINERY
The Union Minister said progressive farmers and women self-help groups under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana will fund them to buy machinery for value addition. She reminded the gathering that the world is celebrating the International Year of Millets when India has assumed the G-20 presidency & is organising more than 200 events.