Karnataka Chief Minister said, "A specific pest has attacked the Areca Nut in the Malnad region, and the central government and the concerned agencies are working to find solutions to the pest." Government leaders stated that once agricultural scientists determine the root cause of the problem, the government will take the necessary steps.
The government has approved a Rs 10 crore grant for pesticide spraying. Once agricultural scientists have determined the cause of the pest, the government will take the necessary treatment and other measures.
"Because the pest is spreading at an alarming rate, the government has taken the situation very seriously," he said. According to CM Bommai, the government has doubled the input subsidy given to farmers for crop damage caused by natural disasters.
"A total of Rs. 99 crores has already been distributed to farmers. Once the district administration completes the joint survey and submits the report, the government will pay the input subsidy. While previous governments took a year to distribute input subsidies, our government did so in less than a month and a half."
Earlier on Monday, Bommai stated that 2,000 of the 8,000 new classrooms across the state are being built in the Kalyana-Karnataka region. He also stated that the New Education Policy would be implemented in primary education beginning with the following academic year.
Many major food crops can experience yield losses of up to 70% in the absence of crop protection, with weeds accounting for 30% of the losses, followed by animal pests and pathogens at 23% and 17%, respectively. According to the FAO, pests account for 20-40% of global yield losses, costing the global economy a total of $290 billion.
