Date:22/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/22/stories/2008102258840600.htm

New Delhi

Karnataka’s farm model for northeast

B.S. Satish Kumar

Centre hails successful implementation of Rural Bio-Resources Complex project

The cumulative income of families in the project area has increased over two-fold in last 3 years
Migration of youth to urban areas has stopped

TUBAGERE HOBLI (Bangalore Rural district): Karnataka is set to show the way in the country on the methods of finding a way out of the present agrarian crisis and instilling confidence among farmers. The Centre has decided to replicate Karnataka’s successful model of implementation of its (Centre’s) ambitious Rural Bio-Resources Complex Project — aimed at increasing the income of farmers — in the northeastern States.

In April 2005, the Union Bio-Technology Department sanctioned Rural Bio-Resources Complex project in five States, including Karnataka, with the aim of enhancing the income and living standards of farmers in the project area, through the promotion of appropriate interventions and market linkage.

The project, which was taken up to create confidence among farmers in the wake of increase in the number of suicides, is being implemented in Karnataka by the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore in Tubagere hobli of Doddaballapur taluk of Bangalore Rural district, covering about 8,340 families in 75 villages spread over five village panchayats.

Review

At a recent review of the progress of the project in the five States, the Centre came to a conclusion that the method of implementation of the project by Karnataka was the best in the country. Accordingly, it has decided to replicate the Karnataka model in the northeast to provide a boost to the agriculture sector in those States.

Karnataka’ Rural Bio-Resources Complex Project coordinator K. Narayana Gowda has been appointed expert adviser for replication of the project in the northeast. The project is aimed at convincing farmers that agriculture can still be a remunerative occupation and also provide appropriate technological packages to farmers.

The idea is to put an end to the trend of farmer suicides and also to check the migration of youth from villages to urban areas. The project has already started showing positive results in Tubagere hobli as the cumulative income of the farming families in these villages has increased two and a half fold in the last three years.

The income of the families in these villages, which stood around Rs. 3.97 crore in 2004-05, has increased to Rs. 10.15 crore in 2007-08, after the commencement of the project. Dr. Narayana Gowda told The Hindu that the enhancement of income was made possible through several interventions in the form of new crops, market linkages and innovative cultivation methods.