Karnataka - Bangalore   

800 organic farmer couples to go on 15-day visit to Cuba

BANGALORE: As many as 800 organic farmer couples (1,600 farmers) from the State will now get to visit Cuba to learn about that country's achievements in organic farming. The Karnataka State Organic Farming Mission, which is organising the trip, has even readied the list of farmers to be sent abroad.

Mission Chairman A.S. Anand told The Hindu that all the groundwork had been completed and the trip was awaiting Cabinet clearance.

The mission has chosen four organic farmers from each taluk for the trip. He said the mission had prescribed various guidelines to ensure that only small and marginal farmers were selected. Preference has been given to those growing food crops than those into commercial cultivation while selecting farmers for the Cuba trip. The mission was already in touch with the Cuban Ambassador and would take up the matter with him for completing the formalities after getting clearance from the Cabinet, he said. The 15-day trip is estimated to cost about 1.5 lakh per farmer, he noted.

The Cuban authorities were of the view that December to June was the ideal season for visiting Cuba to study organic farming, Dr. Anand pointed out and said the mission would try to commence the trip from December. The 800 organic farmer couples would be sent in four batches.

He said the mission had particularly chosen Cuba for the trip as organic farming was being practised on nearly 60 per cent of that country's agricultural land. Organic farming was not just confined to villages in Cuba as a large number of urban dwellers in that country too were growing organic vegetables through terrace gardening, he noted. “This way, most of the people in Cuba are both consumers as well as growers”.

The mission wants the farmers to particularly study the organic sugarcane cultivation in Cuba. “Unlike India, small groups of 300 to 400 organic sugarcane farmers themselves have set up and managing co-operative sugar factories in Cuba. We are considering emulating it in Karnataka and will try to help the visiting farmers to set up similar small co-operative sugar mills,” he said.

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