Dairy, inland fisheries and sheep rearing witness major growth in Telangana: KTR

Telangana has succeeded overwhelmingly where the Centre failed, says KTR

Hyderabad: Whether it be the case of reviving fortunes of the farm sector or of the fate of public sector undertakings, Telangana has succeeded overwhelmingly where the Centre failed, IT and Industry Minister K T Rama Rao said on Thursday.

Inaugurating a mega dairy plant of Telangana Vijaya Dairy at Raviryal in Rangareddy district, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised farmers that their incomes would be doubled by 2022. The stark reality was that the income of farmers had doubled nowhere in India. But Telangana was an only exception, thanks to the efforts of the State government. While public sector undertakings were disastrously let down by the Centre, the State government remained committed to strengthening them further by extending hand-holding support, he said.

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Vijaya Dairy, which was deliberately neglected in the past by the erstwhile rulers, began to thrive once again with the support of the State and dairy farmers. So was the case with many State-owned undertakings including the State Road Transport Corporation that was finally merged with the government.

Supporting a steady white revolution brewing in the State, Vijaya Dairy Telangana was fast expanding its base. Its milk collection which was close to 1.5 lakh litres in 2014, had crossed over 4 lakh litres now. The mega dairy was set up at a cost of Rs.250 crore. The expansion of Vijaya Dairy would mean more benefits for dairy farmers. The incentive of Rs.4 per litre would be implemented fulfilling the commitment given by the State government. The concept of mini dairies was also catching up fast, he said.

Paddy production in the State, which was in the order of some 68 lakh metric tonnes at the time of bifurcation, witnessed a phenomenal growth during the last nine years. The annual production of paddy was over 3.5 crore metric tonnes today. Similarly inland fisheries also witnessed a revolution with the support of the State government. It has been adding substantially to communities involved in the activity.

Another key sector that witnessed a revolution was the meat industry. The State government had supported sheep rearing by involving the Golla and Kuruma communities in a big way spending over Rs 11,000 crore. A yellow revolution was all set to take place in Telangana with the State government supporting oil palm cultivation too in a big way.

Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Education Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy also attended.