The Hindu : Karnataka News : State to formulate comprehensive drought management policy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 25, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

State to formulate comprehensive drought management policy

By Nagesh Prabhu

BANGALORE, FEB. 24. In the context of the four consecutive years of drought, the State Government has decided to formulate a comprehensive drought management policy to help farmers in distress. The policy is likely to be announced within two months and Karnataka will be the first State to do so.

The Government has given the task of preparing the policy to the Agriculture Department and officials have already held a meeting with J.C. Katiyal, Deputy Director-General (Education), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, and heard his suggestions on the issue, H. Shashidhara, Commissioner, Agricultural Directorate, told The Hindu .

Teams constituted

The Agricultural Directorate has constituted eight teams to study various issues with regard to drought and its management. The teams are headed by the Vice-Chancellors of the Universities of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore and Dharwad, heads of other departments such as Horticulture, Fisheries and Watershed Development and the Drought Monitoring Cell. Representatives of farmers' organisations such as Samooha of Deodurg in Raichur district have been invited to the meetings. The teams have been asked study issues such as crop diversification, cropping pattern and water conservation and make presentations, Mr. Shashidhara said.

The new policy will deal with two major components: risk management and crisis management. The policy will clearly define drought, different kinds of drought, norms for declaring taluks drought-hit and the yardstick to be followed to provide compensation to farmers, the Commissioner said.

Extensive arid zone

The State has second largest arid zone in the country after Rajasthan. Out of a cultivable area of 10.79 million hectares, only 2.32 million hectares (about 20 per cent) is under assured cultivation.

V.M. Rao, former member of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, said the State requires an effective drought management policy to enable officials to take quick action. So far farmers in the State have been left without an effective cover against adverse weather conditions. While the proximate cause is adverse weather, it is the weakness of policy interventions that cause distress to farmers. Closer ground-level monitoring of weather conditions and crop insurance can avert distress to farmers or at least keep it within tolerable limits, Prof. Rao said.

Little progress

Watershed development, which is of utmost importance in drought-prone areas, has made little progress in spite of being given priority on the policy agenda for over two decades. Services such as research and extension and credit and marketing for the growth of agriculture have been set up in the State. But the quality and dependability of the services remain poor, he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka