The Hindu

Mangalore, Jun 6: Farmers of the Dakshina Kannada district have found organic farming not just encouraging but also inexpensive. They are now clamouring for more organic fertilizers.

The district, which started the Japanese model of compost production in 1997 under the zilla panchayat special component plan, could not succeed in it. Late Y K Sanjiva Shetty, who was the zilla panchayat president in 1998, was the pioneer in the district to popularise organic farming.

The failure of Japanese model did not dishearten the farmers, as there had always been a "Dakshina Kannada model" of organic farming available at hand. During this monsoon, the farmers, who have taken up organic farming, are sparing no effort to cover most of their land under paddy cultivation with organic fertilizers.

"Agrigold", which is the branded organic fertilizer under the government seal, has been despatched to the district. The Zilla Panchayat Agriculture Department has stocked 128 tonnes of Agrigold and according to the zilla panchayat president Mamatha D S Gatti, every farmer in the district would get it at 50 per cent subsidy.

According to Agriculture Department experts, the district generates good volume of organic fertilizers.

Leaves from trees in fields, other organic matter and minor forest waste material are collected by farmers.

One of the "Krishi Pandits" of the district (Krishi Pandit is an annual recognition given to outstanding farmers by the State Government) K. Monappa Karkera of Puttur said "it is true that initially the organic farms will be slow in yielding but once the land is fully fertilised with organic fertilizers, the yield will surprisingly go up both in volume and in quality."