KCR chairs Rythu Bandhu Meeting : Highlights

Agriculture Experts and officials are of the opinion that there should be a regulated policy in the state by which farmers should cultivate crops as suggested by the government and they should be saved from going in for the same crops and incur losses. They gave a firm suggestion to the government that those farmers who have not cultivated the crops as suggested by the government should not be given the Rythu Bandhu benefits and they also should not be paid the Minimum Support Price for their produce. To make agriculture profitable, to get the desired results for the several measures taken by the government for development of agriculture in the state, the agriculture produce should get a good price, the experts opined. To achieve this, they said instead of farmers go in for the crops as per their wishes, the farmers should invariably go in for the crops as suggested by the agriculture scientists, officials and experts and a policy in this regard should be enacted.

 

Chief Minister Sri K Chandrashekhar Rao made an elaborate review on Sunday at Pragathi Bhavan here on Crop cultivation pattern in the State, identification of alternative crops, to make farmers go in for a regulatory cultivation, ensuring the Minimum Support Price for the agriculture produce and other related issues. Agriculture Minister Sri S Niranjan Reddy, Rythu Bandhu state President Sri Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman Sri Mareddy Srinivas Reddy, Principal secretary (Agriculture) Sri Janardhan Reddy, Civil Supplies Corporation MD SrI Satyanarayana Reddy, Agriculture University VC Sri Praveen Rao, Seed Corporation MD Sri Keshavulu, Agriculture College Principal Ms Seema, Agri-business Experts Ms Seema, Ms Radhika, agriculture experts participated.

 

On this occasion, the agriculture experts gave several suggestions to the government on measures to be taken to make agriculture profitable in Telangana state. They made it clear that crops should be cultivated in the State, based on the food habits of the people and those crops having high demand in the markets. If this policy is followed, then the agriculture produce from the state would get good price. The government should decide on which crop the farmer should cultivate and it is important that the entire cultivation is done based on this policy, they made it clear.

 

These are the matters that the agriculture experts made it abundantly clear:

 

• There is a tradition in the state that all farmers would go in for the same crop. This will not get good price for the crop in the market. Hence, crops should be cultivated based on the demand in the market. To cultivate in this pattern, there should be regulation. Awareness should come among farmers on this matter. To make farmers get use to the new cultivation policy, the government should act with some stringent measures. The agriculture, scientists, experts, officials will research and after studying in depth would decide on which crops to be cultivated, in which areas and to what extent? The farmers should cultivate based on this policy. For those farmers who fail to follow this policy, benefits of Rythu Bandhu Scheme should be denied and their crops would not be procured by paying the Minimum Support Price. Farmers who follow the government’s policy on Crop pattern should be paid the Rythu Bandhu Scheme benefits and MSP to their produce.

 

• As on date, the state government is procuring the agriculture produce on a humanitarian consideration due to the lockdown situation in the State. The state government cannot do this every year. This is so because the government is not a business organisation. If the crop cultivated has demand in the market will get good price otherwise it will not get any price. There is no option but to cultivate the crops that have demand in the market.

 

• The agriculture scientists, experts have come to some decision with regard to what crop to what extent should be cultivated in the State based on the eating habits of people and crops that have demand in the market. Yearly, for two crops, Paddy can be cultivated in 80-90 Lakh acres, Cotton in 50 Lakh acres, Tur Dal in 10 Lakh acres, Corn in 7 Lakh acres, growing of various seeds in 7 Lakh acres, vegetables in 3.5 Lakh acres, Groundnut in 2.5 Lakh acres, Turmeric in 1.25 Lakh acres, other crops like Millets, Black Gram, Green Gram, Til, Mustard in 2 lakh acres and Soybean in some extent of the land.

 

• Oil Palm cultivation, which can withstand vagaries of nature and give yield for 30 to 40 years, should be spread in the Telangana State. As on date, oil Palm is cultivated in 50,000 acres in Khammam and 10,000 Acres in Suryapet district. Since there is a considerable demand in the market, Oil Palm can be cultivated in the state in 5 to 10 Lakh acres.

 

• Paddy can be cultivated in 80-90 Lakh acres in the State. Based on demand in the market Paddy varieties should be cultivated. There should be clarity on how much fine variety and coarse variety Paddy should be cultivated? For states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Boiled Rice should be exported. Hence, coarse variety should be cultivated for this purpose. People in Telangana prefer to eat the fine rice. Hence such variety paddy should also be cultivated. There is a demand for the Rice having 6.2 mm length morsels in the foreign countries. Such variety of paddy also should be cultivated. A decision should be taken on which variety of Paddy to be cultivated in what extend of the land and it should be followed strictly.

 

• There is a lot of demand for Telangana Sona rice brand developed by the Telangana Agriculture scientists. This variety of rice is good for the diabetes patients. The agriculture experts have identified this as sugar-free rice. The Glycemic Index percentage is low on Telangana Sona variety. The American Journals stated that this rice is healthy. Telangana Sona variety has a brand image. Hence this monsoon season, cultivate this variety in 10 lakh acres in the State. The Agriculture University had already made the required seed for this variety.

 

• After finalizing what crops should be cultivated to what extent in the Telangana State, take a decision on which crop at what extent should be cultivates in which area. Farmers should cultivate crops following this policy.

 

• Make sure that only seeds of the crops suggested by the government are available in the market. Put an end to the practice of Seed traders offering seeds on their own to farmers. There should be a total regulation on this matter.

 

• Due to efforts put in by the state government, the power problem is solved once and for all in the State. Seeds and fertilisers are available on time. Problem of water for irrigation is solved due to the construction of several projects. Due to all this measures, the extent of land under cultivation is increasing leaps and bounds. Yields would also increase. If the increase in yields gets good price, there is justification for the hard work done for the development of agriculture sector. To get good price, there should be regulatory method.

 

• An Experts Committee should be appointed to study the market situation in the country and in the world and to provide guidance from time to time.