MYSURU: The Centre seems to have taken a leaf out of Karnataka’s success story in as far as increasing farmers’ income is concerned. The Union Budget 2020-2021 proposes to increase incomes of farmers through solar power generation on fallow/barren land which can be sold to the power grid. Farmers across the country will also be provided with solar pumps to encourage solar power generation.

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state had introduced a policy where farmers were encouraged to set up solar power generation units on their barren land. It had also set up the world’s biggest solar power generation plant at Pavagada in Tumakuru district.

Referring to the Prime Minister -KUSUM scheme, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her budget speech, said the “annadata” can become an “urjadata” too as it has helped remove farmers’ dependence on diesel and kerosene. She also announced that the scheme will be expanded to help 20 lakh farmers set up standalone solar pumps. “We will also help another 15 lakh farmers solarise their grid-connected pump sets," she said.

The Union Government is focusing on improving agri infrastructure like setting up cold storage chains and creating warehouses in taluks under PPP model on land provided by the state governments. The budget also lays stress on organic, natural, zero budget and integrated farming systems.

However, Dr M Mahadevappa, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, expressed reservations over natural farming. “When countries like Israel, Japan and Vietnam have achieved wonders by adopting science and technology, we are going back to natural farming when there is an increasing demand for food,” he observed.

He said the government should encourage the adoption of science and technology in the farm sector for increasing productivity. Contract farming should have laws to check misuse by MNCs or corporate companies. The budget is also silent on labour issues, fragmentation of land and on ensuring scientific prices, he felt.

State Sugarcane Growers Association President Kurbur Shantha Kumar pointed out that the budget has no specific programmes to double farmers’ incomes. It is also silent on fixing scientific prices for farm produce and on agriculture loans. The Centre should have earmarked Rs 10,000 crore for agriculture, he said but however, welcomed the Krishi Udan scheme.