Greater role for Agriculture Extension Officers in Telangana

Farmers urged to debate and decide on which crops should be cultivated

Hyderabad: The State has witnessed rapid growth in area under cultivation following the increased irrigation facility, and this in turn, had increased the responsibilities of the Agriculture Department particularly the Agriculture Extension Officers (AEOs) proportionately, officials opined at a high-level meeting with Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday.

Besides monitoring the disbursement of financial assistance through Rythu Bandhu scheme twice a year, the AEOs are also responsible for strict implementation of Rythu Bima for which the State government was paying insurance premium of Rs 1,144 crore. The officials said many farmers had registered their land within their family members so that they are all covered under the Rythu Bima scheme. As a result, the insurance premium has nearly doubled from Rs 630 crore in the first year to Rs 1,144 crore this year, they said.

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“Yet, the State government has decided to continue the scheme. Further, uninterrupted free power supply is also being continued. The Agriculture Department should ensure supply of quality seed, fertilizers, and pesticides to farmers apart from keeping tabs on sale of spurious varieties. Farmers also should be provided access to latest farm technology,” officials at the the review meeting opined.

“Rythu Vedikas are being constructed all over the State. Farmers and officers should meet regularly at the Vedikas. They should discuss and decide on which crops they should cultivate based on the market conditions. They have to formulate strategies from time to time on how to get the MSP. Henceforth, it is better if the State government stops advising the farmers on what crops they should cultivate and where? The government should forthwith stop issuing guidelines on the crops to be cultivated. There is no need for the Regulatory Farming policy. Farmers should decide by themselves what crops they should cultivate. They should sell their produce wherever it gets a better price. And this policy is good,” the meeting extensively opined.

Ministers KT Rama Rao, S Niranjan Reddy, Rythu Bandhu Samithi chairman Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar, Government Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary (Agriculture) B Janardhan Reddy, Prof Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor V Praveen Rao, Director (Marketing) Laxmi Bai, MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy and others participated in the meeting.

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