Minister Gangula takes lead in crop switching

Karimnagar: BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar decided to cultivate oil farming in his agricultural land as an alternative to paddy. Minister has taken this decision to motivate the farming community to shift to alternative crops in the wake of the Union government’s denial to purchase paddy. Kamalakar on Saturday visited his agricultural […]

Karimnagar: BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar decided to cultivate oil farming in his agricultural land as an alternative to paddy. Minister has taken this decision to motivate the farming community to shift to alternative crops in the wake of the Union government’s denial to purchase paddy. Kamalakar on Saturday visited his agricultural field in the outskirts of Karimnagar town and personally started oil farm cultivation activity. Based on agriculture officials’ advice, the land was prepared for oil farm cultivation.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the State government was encouraging oil farm cultivation as it was confirmed that Telangana lands were suitable for the crop. A private firm, Lohiya, was allocated to Karimnagar district to look after oil farm cultivation. Right from the supply of oil farm plants to farmers, collection of clusters after harvesting, everything would be looked after by the company.

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10 tons of yield per acre

Cultivated with less effect of insects and monkey menace, it was possible to plant 57 oil farm plants in an acre of land nine metres apart. It was possible to get ten tons of crop in an acre of land and Rs 10,000 is the market value per ton oil farm. Excluding all expenditure, farmers could get Rs 70,000 to 80,000 income by cultivating the crop in an acre of land. Farmers would get yield from four years to 40 years.

Intercrops

To encourage farmers, the State government would provide a Rs 25,000 subsidy per year for a period of the first three years. Besides oil farm, vegetables, green gram, red gram and black gram could be cultivated as intercrops. An oil farm nursery is also being developed in Chigurumamidi mandal. Presently, about one lakh crore worth of oil has been imported from Indonesia and Malaysia countries every year.

Kamalakar advised the farmers to earn more benefit by cultivating oil farms, pulses and other commercial crops. Talking about paddy procurement, the Minister opined that farmers have to suffer huge losses with the arbitrary decision of the Union government. While BJP leaders at the centre made it clear that there was no question of purchasing paddy from Telangana, local BJP leaders were making contradictory statements. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was striving hard to rescue the farmers from the crisis.

Every day, 1 lakh metric tons of paddy is being purchased by setting up 5,871 paddy purchasing centers across the state. As of Friday, 20.5 lakh metric tons of paddy was purchased. About Rs 3,925 crore worth crop was purchased from 3.27 lakh farmers.

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