Bidar: The State Government will recognise progressive farmers in each taluk as farmer scientists and resource persons. They will be encouraged to train other farmers in advanced cultivation methods.

"The Government will provide them some facilities to convert their farms into training centres," Minister for Agriculture Bandeppa Kashempur said here on Saturday. "One of the most serious problems faced by farmers is lack of information on advanced farming methods. Officials of the Agriculture Department are busy distributing seeds and implementing other schemes of the Government. They have no time to take up extension of research work. Hence, we are thinking of other resource persons in this work," he said.

Visit

Mr. Kashempur was visiting the farm of Chandrappa Biradar of Ghodampalli in Bidar taluk, a progressive farmer who has turned an infertile terrain into an agro forest.

The Minister said the Government would help retired teachers of agriculture universities take up free consultancy. "We will recognise them as volunteers and provide them with vehicles to tour villages and train farmers."

Appointments

The Government was in the final stages of appointing agriculture graduates as technical consultants to panchayats, he said. "They will not only offer advice to farmers, but also monitor their crops regularly," the Minister said.

The Minister sanctioned 75 per cent subsidy on drip irrigation to Mr. Biradar. He said the Government would develop a demonstration plot of jatropha bio-diesel in Mr. Biradar's land.

"The agriculture policy states that a demonstration plot will be developed in each panchayat. We will work towards that," he said.

The Minister said he was amazed at the work done by Mr Biradar. "He has struggled for nearly seven years to convert a laterite rock hill into a mini forest. He has planted native breeds of mango trees, exotic tamarind trees and lime varieties. He also grows sugarcane, tur, green gram and black gram crops on his farm. He has found out innovative solutions to fight power cuts and low water yielding borewells. He is a model to other farmers," the Minister said.

Krishi Vigyan Kendra scientist Ravi Deshmukh, Assistant Director of Agriculture S.R. Bhandari and others were present.

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