Taking exception to the way the University of Agricultural Sciences in Raichur (UAS-R) conducted the millet conference on its campus on the 27th of last month, Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha (KRRS) has said that the event was organised without the involvement of farmers in general and millet growers in particular.
Addressing a media conference in Raichur on Thursday, honorary president of KRRS Chamarasa Malipatil said that the event was organised with only students and teaching faculty of UAS-R, while not allowing millet cultivators to participate.
“Farmers were not allowed to participate in the millet conference in which Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai attended. Only students and farm scientists of UAS-R took part in the event. What is the use of organising such events without involving farmers, the actual growers of millets? No exercise without the involvement of actual stakeholders will be successful,” Mr. Malipatil said.
He demanded that the government should involve actual millet growers for the utilisation of ₹25 crore that Ms. Sitharaman announced in the conference for the encouragement of millet cultivation in the State.
“The former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa allocated funds for organic farming when he was heading the government. Yet another former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy too announced incentives for cultivating millets. Only making budgetary announcements and organising conferences won’t help. The government should involve farmers in the implementation of its programmes,” Mr. Malipatil said.
