Bangalore: After announcing its decision to launch a new industrial policy, the coalition government is set to unveil one for the problem-ridden agricultural sector, where a shortfall in production is causing concern. The new agriculture policy will focus on reforming agricultural marketing, maintaining soil fertility, increasing productivity, ensuring credit and insurance for farmers and increasing the irrigation potential. It will come into effect on November 1.

Announcing this to presspersons here on Friday, Agriculture Minister Bandeppa Kashempur said a committee of experts comprising H. Dwarakinath, Raja Rao, R.S. Deshpande, S.A. Patil and the chief general manager of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development had prepared the policy draft. He would discuss it with them on September 2 and forward it to a Cabinet subcommittee for scrutiny. It would then be placed before the Cabinet for approval.

With this, the Minister said, Karnataka would become a pioneer in adopting the five-point agricultural development programme outlined by the noted agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan.

The Minister said his department would launch a unique programme of providing a cart and two bullocks each to 20,000 small and marginal farmers. The cart and bullocks would cost Rs. 40,000 and the Government would provide a subsidy of 50 per cent. They would have to pay Rs. 20,000 at four per cent interest.

Mr. Kashempur said the foodgrain production target fixed by the department for 2006-07 was 1.08 lakh tonnes as against the production of 1.06 lakh tonnes last year. But farmers had already lost 75 per cent of their crops to drought. The yield might come down to 40 per cent.

Special package

The districts of Shimoga, Chitradurga, Hassan, Kodagu, Belgaum and Chikmagalur had been given Rs. 50 lakh each under the Vidharba package announced by the Prime Minister, he said.

The Government had made a proposal to the Centre for sanctioning Rs. 6,903 crore for various schemes to prevent suicide by farmers, he added.

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