Union Min Karandlaje praises Udupi MLA Bhat for leading farming movement

Udupi: Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday joined farmers to cultivate paddy in the arable land at Kadekar village in Udupi district, the initiative of a trust headed by Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat.

Kedarotthana Trust, led by Bhat, has taken up the task of converting 1,500 acres of fallow land in the district into paddy fields including 140 acres in Kadekar village.

Karandlaje, who visited the field and took part in paddy plantation activities during her ongoing ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra,’ asked Bhat to encourage more farmers to involve in the effort.

The union minister’s Udupi district Jan Ashirwad Yatra began Thursday from Hebri.

She later took to Twitter to congratulate Bhat for leading the farming movement. ”I wish the farming movement spreads across the country,” she tweeted.

Speaking at Kadekar, Karandlaje said the Union government has already launched several welfare schemes for small and medium farmers.

The ‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ of the Centre aims to promote organic farming in the country as demand for such products is high in the international market at present, she said.

Trusts like Kedarotthana will help farmers avail the benefits announced by the Centre to enhance their agricultural activities, she said.

The union minister also said farming methods should be introduced to students in schools and colleges to attract the young generation into agriculture.