BANGALORE: Karnataka will procure 28 lakh BT cotton seed packets for the current year as compared to 32 lakh packets last year, said Agriculture Minister Umesh Katti. “There is no problem with BT cotton, and it will continue in the state as the demand is growing every year. The demand is expected to touch 40 lakh packets in the coming months.”
Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony for the centenary building of Agriculture Department, for which the state government has allotted `5 crore in the current budget, the minister said, in Chamarajanagar and Mysore, as a relief measure, the state is procuring turmeric from the farmers at `5,000 per quintal, even though the market price fixed by the Union government is `4,200 per quintal.
Katti also said that the increase in subsidy for sowing seeds, in the drought prone areas, will be discussed in the coming days and added that 50 lakh hectare of rain fed areas and 5 lakh hectares of irrigated areas will be covered under Suvarna Bhoomi and Bhoochetana scheme in current fiscal.
On the sidelines, he said that the state’s fertiliser requirement is pegged at 23 lakh tonnes for the current year, of which it has a stock of 6 lakh tonnes.
He further added, despite drought in the state, last year’s food grain production has touched 124 lakh metric tonnes as against the target of 136 metric tonnes.