Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday inaugurated the district fair Milets Fair-2026 in Kalaburagi. | Photo credit: ARUN KULKARNI
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge said the state government would make all efforts to ensure that the proposed Millet Hub is set up in Kalaburagi district, provided the Agriculture Department submits a Detailed Project Report (DPR) along with a plan at the earliest.
The establishment of the Millet Hub was announced in the 2026-27 state budget but the location was yet to be finalized as several districts had applied for it, he said.
The minister said this after inaugurating the Millet Fair-2026 district fair in Kalaburagi town on Saturday. The event was jointly organized by the district administration, zilla panchayat and agriculture department for release of interim crop insurance compensation for 2.90 lakh farmers through direct benefit transfer (DBT).
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge during the district level Millets Fair-2026 at Kalaburagi on Saturday. | Photo credit: ARUN KULKARNI
Mr. Kharge said the proposed Millet Hub aims to promote millets by creating a dedicated center for agricultural product promotion, research, processing and distribution. He added that just as ‘Kalaburagi rotti’ has acquired a brand identity, a digital marketing platform has been created for millet to enable farmers to connect directly with consumers.
To increase farmers’ income, Custom Hiring Service Centers have been opened across the district to enable farmers to hire nine types of farm machinery at subsidized rates under the ₹4.45 crore project, he said. In addition, four drone-based spraying centers have been set up at a cost of ₹1.97 crore.
A cold storage facility is being constructed in Chittapur at a cost of ₹ 10 crore and a similar facility will also be set up in Kalaburagi town for storage of vegetables and tomatoes, he added.
Seven water treatment units are also being set up in the district at a cost of ₹7.58 crore. “Through these initiatives, the government is trying to transform Kalaburagi district into an agricultural hub,” Mr. Kharge said.
A relief of ₹ 2,590 crore over three years
Mr. Kharge said 3.01 lakh farmers from the district had enrolled under the crop insurance scheme this year. He noted that heavy rains damaged crops in 3.24 lakh hectares last year and ₹ 243.52 crore as interim compensation was released on Saturday through DBT ₹ 2.90 lakh to the insured farmers.
In the last three years, a total of ₹2,590 crore has been provided as assistance to 15.47 crore farmers under various schemes including compensation for Redgram crop damaged due to stem rot disease, crop damage mitigation and drought relief, he said.
Higher compensation helped secure scientific exploration
BR Patil, MLA and Vice-Chairman of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission, said that a scientific survey conducted jointly by the agriculture and revenue departments enabled farmers to get compensation of ₹243 crore. He opined that the amount of compensation may be increased further after the crop harvest based assessment is completed.
MY Patil, MLA, said that agriculture continued to be the primary sector providing employment to most of the people. “A country’s economy and job opportunities grow only when farmers grow crops,” he said.
Published – 07 March 2026 20:55 IST
