Shivamogga MP appeals to Union Minister for a sub-centre of DASD at Sagar
Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra on Friday met Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmersâ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan and urged him to establish a sub-centre of
Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra on Friday met Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmersâ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan and urged him to establish a sub-centre of the Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD) at Sagar in Shivamogga district and operationalise the proposed ICARâIndian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR) Regional Research Station in Shivamogga. In his memorandum to the Union Minister, Mr. Raghavendra said farmers cultivating arecanut, spices and maize in the Malnad region had been facing several technical and administrative challenges, and sought the Centreâs support to address them.
He said a DASD sub-centre at Sagar would provide scientific guidance to arecanut growers in Shivamogga and neighbouring districts, including Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Haveri. Farmers in the region, he said, had been struggling with diseases such as yellow leaf disease, leaf spot and fruit rot. The proposed centre would help them with disease management, improved cultivation practices, training and value addition.
Raghavendra also informed the Minister that suitable land had already been identified on the campus of the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, for the proposed ICAR-IIMR Regional Research Station. The facility, he said, would play a significant role in developing
high-quality hybrid maize seeds and supporting the Union Governmentâs ethanol blending programme. The Union Minister responded positively to the requests and assured the MP that appropriate steps would be taken to expedite both proposals, according to a communiquĂ© issued by Mr. Raghavendraâs office.
The BriefWire