Amid growing farm distress due to drought and floods, the JD(S)-Congress government announced a major boost for agriculture and allied sectors by allocating almost 25% of the total budget.Of the total budget allocation of Rs 46,853 crore for agriculture and allied sectors, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy provided Rs 12,650 crore for his crop loan waiver scheme, covering Rs 6,500 crore for waiver of loans with commercial banks and Rs 6,150 crore for those with loans in cooperative banks. “The government has released Rs 5,450 crore towards the farm loan waiver scheme,” he added.To counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent promise to give Rs 6,000 per acre a year to 12 crore farmers, Kumaraswamy announced a new scheme called Raitha Siri to offer farmers financial assistance of Rs10,000 per hectare to encourage farmers to grow millets. The government plans to increase the area under millet cultivation to 10,000 hectares.Keeping in view diminishing paddy yield and cultivation area in recent years, especially in coastal and Malnad districts, he announced the Karavali Package, financial assistance of Rs 7,500 per hectare to motivate farmers to cultivate paddy.Another new scheme, Raitha Kanaja, will provide minimum support price to 12 notified farm produce. A permanent collection centre is planned to be opened through the year in all Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees through a revolving fundThe government will also offer remunerative support price to six important minor millets, besides providing marketing facility and platform (Hopcoms, Nandini and other outlets) to sell their produce directly.With agriculture at the mercy of the monsoon, Kumaraswamy announced the implementation of the Israeli Model of Micro Irrigation System (IMMIS) with a corpus of Rs 145 crore and Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) with a corpus of Rs 40 crore. While both were envisaged last year, they’re being implemented this fiscal to grow crops profitably by using less water and promoting natural farming methods.To prevent distress sale of onion, potato and tomato when prices crash, the government will announce a base price and provide incentives under Price Deficiency Payment Scheme if produce is sold below it.The government has also decided to set up a Debt Relief Commission on the Kerala model to receive complaints from farmers about private monet lenders and redress their grievances. It’ll shortly bring in the Gruhalakshmi Crop Loan Scheme for small and marginal farmers who will get a crop loan on their ornaments at an interest rate of 3%.Karnataka has the most dry land after Rajasthan. Our state has been affected by drought for 14 of 18 years since 2001. Farmers have become desperate due to repeated losses. While Malnad and coastal areas, including Kodagu, have suffered due to heavy rain, 156 taluks have suffered from drought.A glaring omission was the Raitha Belaku scheme announced by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. Under it, farmers in drought-affected areas will get Rs 5,000 per month per hectare if the monsoons fails. The scheme has been scrapped in favour of the loan waiver scheme. “It also means that Rs. 3,500 crore earmarked for the project last year will not be released,’’ said a senior Congress leader.* Milk producers will get incentive of Rs 6 per litre* Rs 15,000 crore for interest subvention on farm credit* Rs 5,500 crore for crop insurance* 50% subsidy for agri startup entrepreneurs* Two world-class permanent farm demonstration centres at VC Farm, Mandya and Sindhanur, Raichur* Special package of Rs 150 crore to improve condition of pomegranate and grape growers* Mango processing units in Ramanagara and Dharwad districts under PPP model* Tomato processing units in Kolar district under PPP model* Mobile veterinary clinics in 15 districts* Fishing jetty for development of fishing at Malpe harbour in Udupi district* Smart weighing machines in all 162 APMCs

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