Belagavi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday launched a new Soil Health and Integrated Water Management Project for sugarcane-growing areas, warning that farmland should not lose its fertility in the race to increase crop output.
The project was inaugurated on private land near Belagavi Sugars at Hudali village in Belagavi taluk. Siddaramaiah said the farmer-focused state government was placing strong emphasis on sustainable farming practices in sugarcane regions of Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi and Mandya districts, reported The New Indian Express.
He said land was the foundation of human life and stressed the need to protect its fertility. He called for a reduction in the excessive use of chemical fertilisers and said the belief that higher fertiliser use always leads to higher production needed to be corrected.
Describing India as an agriculture-based country with a large section of the population dependent on farming, the chief minister said it was the government’s duty to extend full support to farmers. He highlighted the importance of careful water use and said farmers should be trained in scientific water management methods. He also encouraged them to adopt new crop varieties developed by the Agriculture Department.
Siddaramaiah said the project was launched in line with announcements made in the previous state budget. He urged farmers to use modern technology to increase productivity and income, noting that the government was providing advanced farm equipment at subsidised rates.
Calling Mandya a leading example of intensive farming, the chief minister said farmers in the district were effectively using government schemes. He asked agriculture officials to regularly visit fields and spread awareness about maintaining soil fertility and adopting modern farming methods. He added that the government remained committed to making farming profitable and improving farmers’ financial stability.
Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy said the project was designed to support sugarcane farmers by encouraging technologies that raise income while reducing costs and water usage. He said the introduction of high-yielding varieties that require less water, along with subsidised sugarcane harvesters, would help tackle labour shortages and improve returns. He described the subsidy scheme for harvesting machines as an example that could be followed across the country.
Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi said the state government had introduced several schemes to bring major changes in agriculture and help farmers increase their earnings through scientific methods. He urged farmers to learn from international farming practices to get better results from limited land.
Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil said sugarcane was cultivated by more than five crore farmers across the country and over 400 sugar mills were operational nationwide. He said ensuring fair prices for growers remained a key focus and added that increasing sugar exports from major producing states such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka could lead to higher income for farmers.
