‘Be green-field leader’
BENGALURU
Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy has urged farmers to adopt modern farming practices and become entrepreneurial leaders in agriculture.
Speaking at the inauguration of Krishi Mela 2025 at the Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bengaluru, he said agricultural fairs help farmers gain knowledge about high-yield and low-cost crops, boosting productivity and income.
The four-day fair, themed “Prosperous Agriculture – Developed India: Land, Water and Crops,” showcases innovations from Bangalore Agricultural University, which the minister praised for consistently releasing new crop varieties. He emphasized that both Central and State governments are working to make agriculture a sustainable industry.
Chaluvarayaswamy revealed that under the PMFME scheme, the Karnataka Processing and Export Corporation (KPEC) provided ₹15 lakh subsidies to 5,000 entrepreneurs. Sharing his visit to the International Rice Research Center in the Philippines, he said Indian scientists are also developing flood-resistant rice varieties similar to those found abroad.
He called for scientific and integrated farming, fair pricing, efficient marketing systems, and drought management to achieve sustainable agriculture. “Our goal is to make farmers’ lives better through innovation and research support,” he said.
Three progressive farmers were honoured with state-level awards during the event. Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, Agriculture Secretary S. Selvakumar, and university officials S.V. Suresh, Narayanaswamy, and Dr. T.K. Prabhakar Shetty were present.