Focus on addressing farmers’ issues: Harish Rao
The Finance Minister said after the State formation, the Telangana government has addressed the problems faced by farmers in a phased manner.
Hyderabad: In the wake of increased agricultural production in the State, Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Friday emphasised the need for devising strategies to address the issues of labour, storage and also processing as well as packing the produce. He suggested that the State Credit Plan should be prepared to address the needs of farmers and wanted the banks to support them by providing loans to procure agriculture equipment and other infrastructure.
Releasing the State Focus Paper during the State Credit Seminar 2021 organised by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) here, the Finance Minister said after the State formation, the Telangana government has addressed the problems faced by farmers in a phased manner.
Besides creating irrigation facility through construction of several irrigation projects and providing uninterrupted power supply, he pointed out that the government has initiated numerous programmes like Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima to support farmers. “As a result, the farm operations have improved significantly and there is surplus farm production in the State which calls for urgent need of storage space as well as processsing and packing the crop,” he stated.
Appreciating NABARD for its initiatives towards farmers’ welfare and development, Harish Rao said due to unavailability of labourers, farmers are forced to ask their children to skip their studies and work in the fields. “Farmers should be encouraged to use machinery like cotton picking machines in their agricultural operations to minimise labour component. Banks should simplify their lending procedures and provide loans to farmers for purchasing these equipment,” he asserted. He pointed out that several farm equipment were now available at subsidised prices and are even for hire.
On the occasion, Finance Minister Harish Rao emphasised the need to encourage oil palm production, which could increase the income of farmers and suggested for exporting the surplus and quality crop yields by taking up processing and packing. “Let us focus on alternative farming activities to get more benefits. We need to encourage farmers to take up oil palm and other commercial crops to get the benefit ,” he added. Accordingly, the Minister said due to increased groundwater levels, farmers can take up cultivation of the highly-profitable crops like oil palm in the State. He asked NABARD to coordinate with the State departments to ensure a speedy delivery of the services to farmers.
Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar, TS Cooperative Apex Bank chirman Konduru Ravinder Rao, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary for Finance K Ramakrishna Rao, NABARD chief general manager Y Krishna Rao and other bankers from across the State, attended the meeting.
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