Karnataka seeks to encourage agriculture-based industry

The Karnataka government plans to amend the Land Revenue Act to recognise farm-dependent industries, godowns and cold storage units as agriculture-allied activity, and conversion of land up to five acres would not be necessary for them.

Replying during a threeday debate on agriculture and rural development in the Legislative Assembly, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said that this would be done to encourage food processing industries in the state, and would be applicable for such industries being set up outside the district headquarters. He also said that as per the government’s industrial policy for 2009-14, support grants were restricted to certain zones but this limitation would be removed with respect to the agriculture-dependent industries in all the 164 taluks (barring the 12 developed ones) and they would be given a 25 per cent supp-ort grants (maximum of Rs 30 lakh).

“This support grant will be extended to setting up of godowns and cold storage units also,” Yeddyurappa said. To encourage horticultural crops, four mega mar-kets with sorting, cold sto-rage and packing facilities, would be set up with private sector participation.

A horticulture export zone would be established near the Bangalore International Airport, he said.