Shift to alternative crops: KTR tells farmers

Rajanna-Sircilla: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao urged farmers to cultivate alternative crops instead of paddy. Since the Union government had refused to procure common variety of paddy, it was necessary to shift to crops other than paddy from the next Yasangi season, he said. “Farmers can earn more with less […]

Rajanna-Sircilla: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao urged farmers to cultivate alternative crops instead of paddy. Since the Union government had refused to procure common variety of paddy, it was necessary to shift to crops other than paddy from the next Yasangi season, he said.

“Farmers can earn more with less work if they cultivate alternative crops such as oil palm, groundnut, sunflower, redgram and others. Public representatives and agriculture officials should motivate farmers to go in for other crops,” Rama Rao said, participating in the 2021-22 Yasangi crop shifting awareness programme in Sircilla on Monday.

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The Minister emphasized the need to cultivate oil palm to get more benefits and urged public representatives to cultivate oil palm on their lands to motivate farmers. Rama Rao said he would also cultivate oil palm on 15 acres of leased land in Mohinikunta.

Stating that the rural economy in Telangana was strengthened with the initiatives taken by the State government. The State became self-restrained if farmers cultivated alternative crops. Being a farmer, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was knowledgeable about the problems of ryots. In order to strengthen the agriculture sector, the Chief Minister was supplying 24-hours free power, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and others.

While Rythu Bandhu is being implemented to provide financial assistance, Rythu Bima aims to help the kin of the deceased farmers.

With the initiatives taken by the State government, Telangana has become a role model in paddy cultivation. It is the only State, which cultivated 3 crore metric tonnes of paddy. Government purchased paddy by setting up paddy procurement centres in every village during the last Yasangi season.

Stating that the State government was extending all kinds of support to farmers, the Minister informed that farm loans of 9 lakh farmers were waived so far.

Talking about the district, Rama Rao said water is everywhere in Sircilla, which was earlier a drought-prone area. The groundwater table increased substantially with the completion of Upper Manair, Annapurna reservoir and Mid Manair reservoir. It will further increase after the completion of the Malkapeta reservoir.

Informing that there were 666 tanks in the district, the Minister informed to take steps to fill 85 per cent of tanks with water throughout the year. Out of 4.72 lakh acre land available in the district, 2.48 lakh acres was feasible for cultivation.

Stating that it was possible to get more profits with oil farm cultivation, Rama Rao wanted agriculture officials to take steps to cultivate an oil palm on 100 acres in 57 clusters of the district. Agriculture Extension Officers should motivate farmers by involving public representatives in Rythu Vedikas.

Farmers and public representatives and officials would be taken to Ashwaraopet of Khammam district to study oil palm cultivation, the Minister informed and called upon public representatives to come forward and cultivate oil palm in their lands to motivate farmers.

57 meetings should be done in 57 clusters by the end of this month and farmers should inform the officials about alternate crops to be sowed by them in the coming 15 days period.

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