Mangalore: The graduates would seek agriculture as a career avenue as there is huge demarcation between industry & agriculture said, Dr. TN Prakash Kammardi, Chairman, Karnataka Agriculture Price Commission, Bengaluru.

Addressing the Sahyadri MBA students on new paradigms in agriculture,he emphasized the major difference between agriculture and industry is based on the emphasis on land, labour, capital & organization. He called agriculture as the biological industry.

He said that farmers are gambling with the monsoon & middle men. The need of the hour is to turn the young mind towards agriculture rather than industry only. He also stressed on ideas that will reduce our dependence on the nature. He was pointing towards bore wells, construction of big dams and use of available natural resources. He also enlightened the crowd with facts that government is trying its best to encourage the agricultural sector. Few of these are 100% government sponsored programme that work towards the welfare and creating strong knowledge in the subject area. Banks are offering loans on subsidised rate, Role of APMC in distribution and marketing of agricultural products.

Mr. Kammardi focused on modernizing the agriculture and the status of agriculture is based on the following steps:

• Contract farming • Cooperatives • Farmer producer companies • Strengthening the collective bargaining capacity of farmers.

He concluded by stating that farmers should become price makers rather than price takers. Ms. Tejaswini, wife of Dr. Prakash Kammardi also graced the occasion and answered many of the students queries related to floriculture and vertical farming.