Bengaluru, April 24 (IANS). Keeping a big vision, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that Bengaluru should also become a global center of agricultural technology (Agri-Tech) like it is an IT hub. It is important that new technologies related to farming reach every farmer, only then real change will be possible.
He was speaking after inaugurating the ‘Global Agri Tech Summit- 2026’ held in Bengaluru. The event was organized by the Karnataka Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The Chief Minister said that the use of technology in the agriculture sector is the need of the hour. He stressed on adopting new technologies in farming, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to ensure overall development of the state.
He said that such programs play an important role in connecting farmers with new technology and modern methods.
CM Siddaramaiah appealed to the farmers to participate in such programs in large numbers. He appreciated the exhibition on organic farming and agricultural machinery organized during the summit, but suggested that such exhibitions be organized separately so that their impact would be greater.
He said that India is an agricultural country, hence making farming sustainable and profitable should be the biggest priority. The Chief Minister expressed concern that today’s youth are moving away from farming. “If farming becomes profitable, the youth will automatically return to this sector,” he said.
Referring to the government schemes, he said that many schemes have been started to increase the income of farmers and also appealed to the industry to cooperate in strengthening the agriculture sector.
Referring to ‘Krishi Bhagya Yojana’, he said that this scheme was started especially to help the farmers of drought affected areas. He said that Karnataka has a large amount of dry land and the state ranks second in the country in this regard. He alleged that the previous BJP government had stopped this scheme, which has now been restarted by his government.
The Chief Minister also informed that about 83 lakh farmers of the state have been given agricultural loans worth Rs 70,000 crore. Additionally, Rs 8,000 crore was allocated for infrastructure development last year. Even though Karnataka ranks first in industry and rural development, it is very important to increase investment in agriculture sector, only then farming can be made truly profitable.
–IANS
VKU/ABM