Embrace tech for sustainable agriculture: Cheluvarayaswamy

Time of India

21-05-2025

Mandya: Change is the law of nature, and the traditional mindset that agriculture equates to hard labour, debt, and losses must be abandoned, said district minister N Cheluvarayaswamy.
He emphasised that by embracing technology and modern agricultural machinery, farmers can achieve financial stability and sustainable growth.
Speaking at the inauguration of a special technical workshop on sugarcane, paddy, and ragi cultivation—from sowing to marketing—at the Agricultural College, VC Farm in Mandya on Wednesday, the minister highlighted Mandya's strong agricultural roots. He noted that agricultural scientists and institutions are introducing innovative methods to boost productivity and profitability.
"Growing the same crop continuously depletes soil nutrients and reduces yields," he warned. To combat this, he recommended a simple
crop rotation
strategy: divide a 3-acre plot into three sections, cultivate different crops in each, and rotate them annually. He acknowledged farmers' hesitation in adopting new techniques but suggested implementing them on a trial basis on a portion of their land. "Once they see the benefits, they can expand these practices to their entire holdings," he added.
Cheluvarayaswamy also addressed the issue of marketing. "While crops like paddy and ragi take around six months to mature, marketing starts immediately after harvest—often directly from the fields," he said. He urged farmers to focus on value addition techniques to maximise their earnings.
To tackle the labour shortage in agriculture, he announced that the govt has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for
agricultural mechanisation
. As part of this initiative, Rs 40 lakh subsidy is being offered for
high-tech harvesting machines
, benefiting around 350 farmers so far.
In a significant development, a new agricultural university has been approved for Mandya, to be modelled after GKVK (University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru). Operations are expected to begin within three years. "Its impact and importance will become increasingly evident in the coming days," he stated.
Joint director of agriculture Ashok shared insights into the district's key crops—sugarcane, ragi, and paddy.
He noted that advanced techniques are being introduced to improve yields. For instance, farmers are using 'five-eye' and 'single-eye' sugarcane varieties for better productivity. Under the NREGA scheme, high-quality ragi suitable for export is now being cultivated on 2,000 hectares. To address labour shortages in paddy transplanting, workers are being sourced from outside the district, although some farmers have already started using mechanised transplanting methods.
A special bi-monthly technical workshop is being organised to raise awareness and promote these modern practices among more farmers.
Deputy commissioner Kumara, zilla panchayat CEO KR Nandini, SP Mallikarjun Baladandi, agricultural university special officer Harini Kumar, VC Farm dean Dr Fatima, agricultural scientists, and a large gathering of farmers were present.