Modern agriculture practice and wider adoption of farm technology have led to a steep fall in the number of cattle in rural farm families, district in-charge Minister Govind Karjol said in Belagavi on Tuesday.
“Surveys have indicated that the number of cattle has reduced by one-third. This is not good for the environment or the rural economy. The State government should take steps to reverse this trend. Farmers are also using unprecedented levels of fertilizer, insecticides and hybrid seeds. This will have negative effects on soil and can cause pollution,” he said.
“Eating hybrid foodgrains that are grown with addition of inorganic fertilizer is causing diseases such as cancer. We should avoid such developments. Therefore, the State government will promote the use of natural farming and organic inputs. Promoting cattle rearing is one step towards natural farming. This has been proved by many studies,’’ he said.
