He holds first Raitha Spandana programme in Bidar

A few months after participating in paddy transplantation at a field in Mandya district, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy held the first Raitha Spandana, an interaction with farmers, here on Thursday. Nearly a thousand farmers from across the district participated in the interaction held at the Rangamandir.

Ten farmers chosen from different taluks in the district interacted with the Chief Minister for about one-and-a-half hours on a host of issues and put forth various demands. The Chief Minister responded to each farmer and assured them of addressing their issues.

Kashilinga Agrahara, a BSc. Agriculture graduate and progressive farmer, demanded an agriculture college for Bidar, and the Chief Minister assured him of establishing one in the next year.

When Mohammad Jaffer asked why farmers were in a bad shape financially even after successive governments extending a helping hand in the form of subsidies for farm inputs and other financial aids, the Chief Minister stressed the need for transforming the farm sector fundamentally.

“We have to follow Israel model of farming using advanced technology ... I want to form farmers’ groups in every village and encourage them to take up collective farming using advanced technologies. These farmers’ groups will be guided by successful farmers as well as experts in the field. The government will also assist financially and also find domestic and international market for their crops. This might help lift the farmers up from crisis,” he said.

When Gurulingappa, a farmer from Humnabad, demanded that the Chief Minister to declare Bidar as the district of organic farming, Mr. Kumaraswamy expressed his desire to visit Sikkim for a couple of days and see the experiments the northeastern State was doing. “I want to adopt everything best found in the country and the world to improve the farm sector in my State,” he said.

Vittal, a farmer, opposed the “preferential treatment” giving to farmers belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in offering subsidies for purchase farm inputs and other financial aid, and demanded equal treatment. Mr. Kumaraswamy agreed with him by stating that all farmers were in a critical condition financially and the government should not be discriminating among them.

Responding to Anil Kumar, another farmer, the Chief Minister said he would sanction a soya research centre for Bidar in the next budget.

Earlier, Mr. Kumaraswamy visited a farm at Chitta village and interacted with farmers as part of the programme. Earlier in the day, he addressed a public gathering at the launch of the National Cooperative Week, at Nehru Stadium. Hundreds of people were standing in queues to submit memorandums to the Chief Minister seeking redressal of their grievances. As per details provided by the Department of Information and Public Relations, 497 people submitted petitions.