The Government is embarking on a major plan to encourage organic farming in the State, and Thursday's budget is expected to have an allocation of funds for this.
The State will have a full-fledged wing to monitor organic farming. Experts in agriculture and horticulture and agricultural scientists are being roped in under the plan. A sum of Rs. 100 crore is expected to be set apart for organic farming, including a scheme to motivate farmers to adopt organic farming techniques.
Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa told The Hindu here on Wednesday that his third budget would be markedly different from the ones that he had presented over the past two years when he was Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister in the H.D. Kumaraswamy Government.
He said, "Every sector will have an enhanced allocation. Even funds for the development of backward areas will be substantially high."
Though the Nanjundappa Committee report on regional imbalances was submitted to the Government over a decade ago, "I was the first to make an allocation of Rs. 1,571 crore in the budget for 2007-08 [based on its recommendations].
However, a major part of this allocation remained unutilised following the imposition of President's Rule in the State in November last. Apart from an enhanced allocation, the Government will set up a monitoring committee to oversee the implementation of development work, particularly those in the Hyderabad-Karnatak region."
With reference to organic farming and chemical fertilizers, the Chief Minister said the shortage of complex fertilizers in the State as of now was nearly 1.5 lakh tonnes. Farmers were again making a beeline to fertilizer depots after the good rainfall in most parts of the State over the past three days.
