Ballari: Agriculture Minister B. C. Patil visited and took darshan and fulfilled his vows at Sri Doddabasaveshwara Temple in Kurugodu Town on the morning of Monday October 17.
Speaking to mediapersons he said that farmers can only make profits if they have to adopt a holistic farming system. He said that it is not only paddy and fenugreek crops that are grown but also mixed farming methods should be taken up. If paddy is grown, it only helps to fulfill basic needs and hence there are many crops in the farming system which should be taken up for cultivation, he noted.
He said farmers should two crops of paddy in a year for which spraying pesticides will not help in getting good yield. Despite Kurugodu being a Taluk Paddy Procurement Centre is yet to be opened. Only the farmers of Kurugodu have to go to different places and sell their crops, he said.
In the meantime, when asked about the benefit of the middlemen, he immediately spoke to the Deputy Commissioner and assured them that he would facilitate them. He also said that Rs. 1 Crore will be sanctioned soon for the building as there is no proper Agriculture Department building in the Taluk, which does not benefit the officials and farmers.
He assured that “farmer should not commit suicide if there is crop loss. He promised, “the government is with you, and suicide is not at all a solution because the government will give compensation to such farmers.”