Give up paddy cultivation, opt for cotton, toor dal, oil seeds: Niranjan Reddy

The Minister directed officials to ensure cultivation of toor dal in 20 lakh acres and cotton in 75 lakh acres during the Vanakalam season

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy appealed to the farmers to give up cultivation of paddy and instead wanted them to cultivate cotton, toor dal and oil seeds cultivation extensively during the upcoming Vanakalam season.

There is good demand for oil seeds in the national and international markets. During every meeting and programme, farmers are being appealed to reduce paddy cultivation and instead take up cultivation of cotton, toor dal and oil seeds, he said.

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The Minister convened a video conference with Agriculture officials of all the districts and other departments here on Saturday.

Addressing on the occasion, the Minister directed the officials to ensure cultivation of toor dal in 20 lakh acres and cotton in 75 lakh acres during the Vanakalam season. Accordingly, all arrangements should be made to supply 170 lakh quality cotton seeds packets through 57 cotton seed manufacturing companies within the scheduled time, he instructed the officials. He sought stringent action against companies which supply spurious and substandard seeds.

Similarly, to ensure cultivation of toor dal in 20 lakh acres, 80,000 quintals of seeds should be arranged through State and national seed development corporations, besides agricultural university and other companies, he said. “For the first time in the country, seed traceability system is being introduced to ensure supply of quality seeds to farmers,” Niranjan Reddy informed.

In all, cultivation of different crops in 90 lakh acres was being planned and accordingly certified and quality seeds would be supplied to the farmers. All the required quantity of seeds should be made available in all the districts by May 15, he directed to the officials.

Regarding cultivation of cotton, the Minister wanted the officials to conduct districts wise survey and prepare plans accordingly.

The Minister informed Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao always strives for the welfare of farmers and wants them reap good profits, he said.

“It was Chief Minister’s vision that aided in increasing the acreage in the State. Every year, the acreage in steadily increasing in the State,” said Niranjan Reddy.

The Chief Minister was according top priority to Agriculture sector through Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, uninterrupted power supply and provision of sufficient water for the farming community, he said adding, “No other State is taking up such programmes for promoting farming.”

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