Karnataka’s Farmers have been facing several issues ranging from improper technology to agricultural loan debts. Karnataka is a vast state with varied topography, while there are agriculturally prosperous regions, some regions are severely affected by the frequent droughts. The Karnataka government even after introducing and implementing certain policies for the farmers, have failed to protect the farmers, this has led to more than 3500 farmers committing suicide in the period of four years from 2013 to 2017. The opposition parties have ceased the opportunity to put pressure on the Siddaramaiah government, as they seek to improve the condition and growth of agricultural sector of the Karnataka, that has become stagnant in the recent years.
Karnataka’s economy is largely dependent on the revenue generated from the IT sector, as major cities including capital Bangalore have become a major hub for IT industry. But on the other hand, agricultural sector’s growth has been on a downward trajectory, as droughts are becoming a common event in various regions across Karnataka, while Northern Karnataka region is the worst affected region of the state. Although a state budget allocation of Rs. 3823 crore for the year 2017-18, the 2/3rd of the agricultural production in the state is still dependent on rainfall. Any delay in the rainfall or zero-rainfall, will affect the majority of farming communities in Karnataka due to lack of water management system and state’s inadequacy to implement the policies to improve the condition of the agricultural sector.
Farmers’ suicide has become a pertinent issue in the state, last year Karnataka faced the worst droughts in last 40-odd years. Droughts have affected several districts of the state for the fourth year running, the Northern region ranks on the top in terms of drought-prone region, as the region lacks proper irrigation system and rely on traditional methods of farming. Out of the 3515 farmers’ death in between 2013 to 2017, approximately 2500 of the farmer suicides happened due to the drought or due to the failure of crop. The growing agrarian crisis in the state has resulted in the stagnation of the agricultural sector that is one of the major contributors towards the share in Karnataka’s GDP.
The Sidaramaiah led-Karnataka government envisions a 4.5% sustained growth rate for the agricultural sector of the state, as the government looks to enhance the productivity, while reducing the cost for sustainable agriculture to increase the farmers’ income. The Karnataka government is looking to bring in changes in the functioning of agricultural sector, by introducing drought-proof agricultural system to promote climate adaptable techniques and utilise the natural resources in a sustainable manner. While the measures mentioned above can certainly help bring in stability in the agricultural sector of the Karnataka’s economy, but it remains to be seen whether the state government can implement such policy measure in election-bound state.
The agrarian sector in Karnataka has been neglected, ever since IT-sector became the major source of revenue for the state. The degenerative farming methods and feeble policy structures have hampered the growth of the agricultural sector of Karnataka, while the changing climate has made the situation worse for the farmers, as frequent droughts have severely damaged the crops. The last budget of Siddaramaiah government before the upcoming legislative assembly elections, focused on improving the agricultural sector, as the CM wants to make sure that he has the support of the agrarian community of the state, while bringing in reforms to have a sustainable agricultural sector within the state.
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