Mysore, Apr.13

M. Jagannath Shenoi, Managing Partner of Mangalore Ganesh Beedi and Chairman of Silent Shores Resort, Mysore, today donated the first instalment of Rs. 9 lakh to the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Dharwad for conducting research on cotton, specifically to create a hybrid variety. He will be donating a total of Rs. 48 lakh in installments for the purpose.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Rampriyadas, Chartered Accountant of Jagannath Shenoi said that only BT cotton seeds were available in the market and no research had been done in the past 35 years on the indigenous varieties of cotton.

He said that the UAS had come up with the idea of doing research on Indian cotton for which Shenoi agreed to fund the resea-rch programme and added that once the research is completed, cotton seeds would be distributed to the farmers free of cost.

He also said that this variety could be grown using organic manure, without any artificial fertilisers and pesticides.

A cheque for Rs. 9 lakh was handed over to Dr. S.S. Patil, Senior Cotton Breeder, UAS, who is deputed by the VC. Rampriyadas said this was the endeavor of Shenoi to encourage use of desi variety of cotton, thus making farmers self-sufficient.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / April 13th, 2012