The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Expert quits Organic Farming Mission

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 04, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Expert quits Organic Farming Mission

B.S. Satish Kumar

L. Narayana Reddy

BANGALORE: The much-hyped Karnataka State Organic Farming Mission of the State Government has received a jolt with its prominent member and the State’s leading face in organic farming L. Narayana Reddy tendering his resignation expressing “pain” over the manner in which the mission was being run.

“The mission has not helped even a single farmer ever since it was formed about a year ago. None of the benefits have reached farmers. What is the point in continuing in this post?” said Mr. Reddy, who leads a Gandhian way of life and has mentored a large number of farmers in organic farming in the State.

The 23-member mission, headed by A.S. Anand, was set up in August 2008 to promote organic farming on a mission-mode approach. The mission, which has 14 organic farmers and nine officials and vice-chancellors, has a host of objectives, including formulating programme and operational guidelines for promotion of organic farming. The mission has set up district-level committees of organic farmers to implement its objectives.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Reddy alleged that not many people on these committees were farmers. “Some of them are contractors. What is more painful is that a large number of them are just political followers of the rural party who have nothing to do with farming.”

Mr. Reddy, who travels extensively in the State to meet farmers and whose model farm in Doddaballapur is visited by a large number of farmers and students, said: “I meet nearly 1,000 farmers, a majority of them organic farmers, in a month during my extensive travels to villages. But I could see that none of the farmers had received any benefits from this mission though it has been working for more than a year.”

Mr. Reddy, who has been honoured by the Hampi Kannada University with the Nadoja Award, for his contribution to the agricultural field. Mr. Reddy, who trains students of foreign agricultural universities at his farm, said he was ignored by the mission which never actively involved him in its work. “I was not informed about its formal launching ceremony in January,” he said.

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

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section