The Hindu Business Line : `Educate small farmers on farm management'

THE Executive Director of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP), Dr L.H. Manjunath, has urged the agriculture universities to educate farmers - especially those with smallholdings - on farm management plans.

Addressing farmers at the `cashew crop festival,' organised by the Agriculture Research Station of University of Agriculture Science at Ullal, near Mangalore, on Saturday, he said that farmers are not getting enough information from academic institutions on agriculture.

Stating that only farmers with smallholdings can bring about a second green revolution in the country, he said the university should initiate steps on educating farmers in farm management.

The university can consider training select members of self-help groups in various agriculture-related aspects. These members know farmers in the villages very well, and they can help in propagating the programmes of the university.

SKDRDP has formed 15,000 SHGs in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, and nearly 50,000 families of farmers are part of this set-up.

The university should come out with separate syllabus for training SHG members. These members should be given phase-wise information on various crops.

Even target can be fixed for them to educate farmers, he said. Such a move will help in continuous interaction among farmers and scientists.

The President of the Karnataka Cashew Manufacturers' Association, Mr K. Prakash Rao, said the Karnataka Government has promised the industry that it will come out with a policy on cashew soon. The State is importing raw cashew from other countries to meet the demand here. Though the industry earns a huge sum as foreign exchange by exporting processed cashew kernels from India, the net foreign exchange earning is less owing to the import of raw cashew nuts.

By 2015, Karnataka should be able to produce one-lakh tonne of cashew in additional 50,000 acres of land. There will not be any question of prices coming down as cashew has good demand in American and European countries, he added.

The Vice-Chancellor of UAS, Bangalore, Dr M.N. Sheelavanthar, who presided over the function, said that the university would give priority for educating farmers with smallholdings.

More than 90 per cent of agriculture produce is supplied in the raw status to the market. Farmers will benefit more, if they take initiative to add value to the produce, he said.

People are evincing interest in growing cashew crop in non-traditional areas also. Many cashew plantations are coming up in dry-land areas such as Kolar and Bijapur in the State, he added.

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