Karnataka may suffer 40 per cent drop in Khariff production

Bangalore, Nov 6 (UNI) Karnataka Agriculture Minister Bandeppa Kashempur today said the agriculture production during the Khariff season this year was expected to fall by about 40 per cent due to dificient rainfall in large parts of the state.

Speaking to newspersons here last year's Khariff production stood at 1.13 lakh tonnes and failure of monsoon in large tracts of rainfed areas had affected the Khariff production.

The state government had declared 115 taluks as drought affected due to scanty rainfall.

He said the state government had finalised a new Agriculture Policy, that would make labelling of input agriculture goods compulsory. This was in a bid to put an end to sale of fake seeds, insecticides and fertilisers, he said.

Citing the latest example of the failed maize crop in Bellary due to sub standard seeds, he said the department was studying the issue and necessitate steps to help the farmers who were in trouble.

The department would label all the products and regulate its in the market. Licences would be given to the agriculture graduates or diploma holders for opening such stores.

He said that the new policy would be approved in the next cabinet meeting to be held on November ten.

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