Model organic village being planned in Udupi district

Udupi, Sept 24: Udupi district administration is considering to set up a model organic village where organic farming methods would be adopted right from sowing to harvesting.

Chairing a coordination committee meeting of the Karnataka Raitha Suraksha Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana at the District Offices Complex recently, Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis, said that organic farming should be given more importance.

She directed officers of the Agriculture and Horticulture Department to encourage farmers to take up cultivation of crops through organic farming methods.

She told them to inform all farmers in the district about the Savayava Santhe (organic market) which will be launched here on October 15. The matter required more publicity.

Brochures on the organic market should be published, she said. This would create and encourage the demand for organic farm products. The district administration had chosen the premises of the Flower Action Centre to set up Savayava Santhe.

In order to increase fertility of soil and to protect crops from pests and diseases, farmers should be encouraged to use organic manures and herbicides. The organic manure was now available owing to organic disposal of liquid waste. “But, it is essential that these are first used in the farms belonging to the Agriculture and Horticulture Departments,” she said.

Ms. Francis said farmers should be advised to use smartphones to get information on adopting scientific agricultural methods and harvesting. Some of the farmers in the district had already been trained in these techniques.

Their survey numbers had been entered in the database and after they completed harvesting of crops, photographs would be taken and videographing would be done, she said.

Poovitha, probationary IAS officer, Nagesh Raikar, Deputy Secretary of Zilla Panchayat, Anthony Maria Immanuel, officer of Agriculture Department, and others were present.