Dry spell for farmers again

For farmers who have seen their fortunes ebb due to drought over the past few years, the state budget failed to meet the expectations.

BENGALURU: For farmers who have seen their fortunes ebb due to drought over the past few years, the state budget failed to meet the expectations.
Though initiatives to encourage judicious use of water, achieving self-sufficiency in production of Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine has been introduced, critics believe that such schemes would do too little to provide any relief for agriculture and allied sectors.  Ryot organisations, whose primary demand has been loan waiver of farmers, too aren’t happy with the budget.

The standalone allocation for agriculture and allied sectors - horticulture, sericulture, animal husbandry and fisheries - was 4.91 per cent of the total budget. ‘New Schemes’ listed in the agriculture sector of the budget includes expanding Krishi Bhagya scheme to parts of Malnad and coastal districts  and  expanding the existing Krishi Yantrad hare Programme to 250 more centres