Bengaluru: Karnataka will get new seed villages and dal mills as the Centre steps up efforts to promote value addition and post-harvest processing in agriculture, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday.

Addressing the concluding event of the International Trade Fair–2026 on post-harvest agriculture at Palace Grounds, Chouhan said Karnataka would receive full scientific and technical support under the Pulses Mission to improve productivity, particularly in tur and tur dal, where the state leads national production but lags in per-hectare yield. He announced the development of 25 seed villages to promote farmer-led seed production, with an incentive of ₹10,000 per hectare for participating farmers.

To strengthen processing infrastructure, the Centre will support the establishment of 35 dal mills in Karnataka with a grant of ₹25 lakh per unit, encouraging participation from FPOs, farmer groups and the private sector. He also said a coconut development programme would be implemented to replace ageing plantations and control diseases through scientific interventions.

Chouhan announced the release of ₹191.67 crore to Karnataka under crop and rural missions, while assuring that pending ₹154 crore under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana would be released soon. He said Karnataka’s processed food and millet products would be promoted in national and international markets, noting the state’s growing role in agricultural exports.

State Agriculture Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy said Karnataka leads the country in millet promotion and food processing, with over 25 products holding GI tags. He said the state accounts for nearly 40% of India’s millet exports and about 60% of coffee exports, adding that Karnataka ranks fourth nationally in overall agricultural exports.