Telangana sets new benchmarks in agricultural cultivation, production

CM KCR took up agriculture as a priority sector and initiated multiple measures to improve the infrastructure as well as supply of power and irrigation water without any disruption.

Hyderabad: With its farmer-friendly initiatives, Telangana is setting new benchmarks in terms of cultivation and agricultural production. The cultivation area has shot up to 2.3 crore acres in 2021-22 against 1.34 crore acres in 2014, while the total paddy production alone escalated from 68 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to a whopping 2.49 crore tonnes in 2021-22. The total crop production has surpassed 3.5 crore tonnes.

Soon after the State formation, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao took up agriculture as a priority sector and initiated multiple measures to improve the infrastructure as well as supply of power and irrigation water without any disruption. Further, Rythu Bandhu farm investment support, Rythu Bima farmer life insurance, supply of fertilisers and seeds, have encouraged more farmers to take up agriculture as a serious and remunerative occupation.

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In addition to 2.3 crore acres of agricultural cultivation area, the horticultural crops are being cultivated in another 11.5 lakh acres. The cotton cultivation area has increased by 44.7 per cent from 41.83 lakh acres in 2014-15 to 60.53 lakh acres in 2021-22, according to an official statement here.

The State government is procuring the entire paddy crop cultivated by farmers in Telangana. Accordingly, around Rs 1.07 crore have been deposited directly into the bank accounts of farmers to purchase about 6.06 crore tonnes of paddy over the last eight years. Telangana has also been spending nearly Rs 50,000 crore from its annual budget on agriculture and related schemes over the last a few years.

To provide uninterrupted power to farm sector, the State government strengthened the power distribution network with Rs 36,703 crore and has been providing another Rs 10,500 crore every year towards subsidy against power supplied to the farm agriculture sector, officials said.

Under Rythu Bandhu, the State government had deposited around Rs 10,000 per acre to farmers for the last nine phases over five years i.e. a total expenditure of Rs 57,881 crore as investment support to farmers. Further, about 88,963 bereaved families received Rs 5 lakh insurance amount following the demise of farmers covered under Rythu Bima scheme.

Due to increased agricultural activity, the rural economy has been strengthened like never before and the per capita income of people of Telangana has doubled from Rs 1,12,162 in 2014-15 to Rs 2,78,833. The State government took up numerous other initiatives by appointing an agricultural extension officer for every 5,000 acres, to monitor overall agricultural operations in the State, officials said.

Apart from waiving off transport tax on tractors benefiting Rs 273.5 crore to farmers, the government has also improved godown space from 39 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 68.28 lakh tonnes in 2021-11, they added.