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Bounteous Karnataka(Kannada:ಸಮೃದ್ಧ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ) was an official Agrobased Summit that took place on the 1 and 2 December 2011 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Center (BIEC), in Bangalore,the capital of the State of Karnataka, India. The theme of this Summit was to promote agricultural activities and attract investment in agriculture and allied sectors like Animal Husbandry, Apiculture, Dairy, Sericulture, Fisheries, Floriculture, Horticulture and Food Processing in the state of Karnataka. This summit represents the first initiative of the Government of Karnataka to promote agricultural activities, interest in agriculture, agricultural products in addition to the Tabling of Nation's first Agriculture Budget . The 2 day Bounteous Karnataka Agricultural Expo event was attended by a number of delegates including investors from all over India and abroad.Numerous Memorandums of Understandings were signed by the investors promising the investments in the state worth Rs.50000 crores at the end of a two-day session.
Contents
Background
Bounteous Karnataka is an initiative of the Government of Karnataka. Karnataka is the eighth largest State in India, in terms of geographical size. The whole state of Karnataka is a melting pot of diverse cultures, languages and faiths. Bangalore is known all over the world as the IT powerhouse capital of Karnataka state.
Agriculture In India
India’s first five-year plan post independence in 1947 focused on agriculture, primarily to become independent of foreign import of food grains. Since then, India’s agricultural sector has grown to such an extent that today, India is the second largest producer of wheat in the world. As of year 2009, India’s share of world wheat production was an enviable 12%. India is also the second largest producer of rice in the world. As of 2009, India’s share of world rice production was 21%. India has successfully implemented several agricultural developmental schemes in the country. Schemes such as the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) have been implemented successfully in several states, notably Karnataka. These schemes have not only improved the agricultural standards but have provided employment for thousands of farmers and agricultural workers.
Agriculture In Karnataka
Karnataka’s agriculture alone accounted for 12.3% of India’s GDP in 2009-2010. 58.4% of India’s population relies on agriculture as their primary means of livelihood. Of all agricultural products, wheat and rice accounted for 78% of India’s total food grains production in 2009-2010. Karnataka has been the recipient of the Government of India’s numerous schemes for the agricultural development.
1. Suitability Of Karnataka For Agriculture
The state of Karnataka is located at the West Coast of India. Karnataka is blessed with more than adequate rain and sunshine throughout the year, combined with fertile soils kept well irrigated by major rivers such as Cauvery, Godavari, Krishna, North Pennar, South Pennar, Palar and several west-flowing rivers. These rivers and their many tributaries allow the people of Karnataka to indulge in farming activities. With state-sponsored organized farming and budgeted agricultural developmental plans, these well-irrigated lands are yielding great results. The share of agriculture in the state GDP is around 16%, which is higher than the current National Average. Of all the states in India, Karnataka is the first state to come up with a separate agriculture budget. 65% of Karnataka’s population depends on agriculture as their main means of livelihood.
2. Agricultural Trade In Karnataka
Karnataka is well connected to all major ports around the world, making this state a suitable place not only for the cultivation of agriculture but also for trade. Karnataka’s 300 kilometer long coast Line has one major port and ten minor ports. Karnataka is also home to an international community that represents an emerging market for value added products. Karnataka is excellently connected to the complete domestic market. There are five major airports, airports, 14 national highways and 114 state highways and railways to help with domestic trade. Agricultural products that are grown within Karnataka are therefore easily transported to different locations within the country.
3. University Of Agriculture In Karnataka
The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS, Bangalore) was established by a legislative act in 1964. Since then, UAS has been instrumental in carrying out the Green Revolution impetus given by the Indian Government for the agricultural sector. Several agricultural universities were established throughout India after the legislative act came about in 1964; UAS, Karnataka grew phenomenally and was later bifurcated into two agricultural universities. This happened because of the growth of UAS, and need to serve the different agroclimates in different parts of Karnataka. The result of this split is two Universities of Agricultural Sciences, one based in Bangalore, Karnataka and the other in Dharward, Karnataka. UAS, Bangalore has been entrusted with territorial jurisdiction over 15 southern districts of Karnataka. This jurisdiction comprises nearly fifty percent of the total area of Karnataka. UAS Dharward has been given jurisdiction over the remaining area in the northern districts of Karnataka.
4. Karnataka’s Policy On Sustainable Farming
Given the current global warming crisis, the world is focused on using sustainable methods of growing produce to prevent the use of chemical-based pesticides that harm the ozone layer. Organic farming is also the solution that helps rural areas to be self-reliant in terms of development, nature conservation and food production. This approach is based on the sustainable use of bio-diversity; focus is on agriculture's contribution to biodiversity and vice versa. India’s outlook, culture and economic life have been shaped by organic agriculture over the centuries. People were unaware of chemical fertilizers and pesticides until after India’s independence. The use of non-sustainable agricultural practices has resulted in serious environmental degradation and various health hazards to mankind, animal kind, the country’s economy and also its biodiversity. Karnataka has therefore adopted organic and sustainable farming policies since year 2005 with great success.
5.International Agricultural Cooperation
In order to advance its agricultural initiatives, India has built many cooperative ventures with various international organizations that are approved by the World Trade Organization (WTO). These cooperative ventures have been orchestrated with strong commitment towards international agricultural standards.