Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra
| Photo Credit: File Photo
Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra on Friday met Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ 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 ICAR–Indian 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 Centre’s 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.Mr. 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 Government’s 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 communiqué issued by Mr. Raghavendra’s office. Published - July 31, 2026 08:21 pm IST
