Vaanakalam cultivation to be taken up in over 1.4 crore acres: Niranjan Reddy

The Minister said that cultivation of cotton in 70.05 lakh acres, toor dal in 20 lakh acres and paddy in 41 lakh acres was expected to be carried out this season

Hyderabad: Crop cultivation in Telangana State during Vaanakalam (Kharif) this year was expected to be taken up in over 1.40 crore acre, Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy said on Tuesday.

Participating in a high-level review meeting here with the Secretary (Agriculture and Cooperation) M Raghunandan Rao and Telangana Seeds Development Corporation Managing Director K Keshavulu, the Minister said Telangana was a role model for supplying seed to farmers. It was estimated that as many as 13.06 lakh quintals of different varieties of seed would be required during this season and 18.287 lakh quintals of seed was already available, he said. The Minister said that cultivation of cotton in 70.05 lakh acres, toor dal in 20 lakh acres and paddy in 41 lakh acres was expected to be carried out this season.

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Instead of paddy, farmers should go for alternative crops like toor dal and cotton that have demand in the market. Moreover, there is huge demand for cotton cultivated in Telangana in the international market, Niranjan Reddy said, and instructed officials concerned to take necessary steps to ensure that seed are available to farmers cluster-wise in districts. Authorities must also ensure supply of seed that have more demand cluster-wise, he said.

Since Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh registered heavy unseasonal rainfall, soya bean seed were unavailable and the State government was not supplying these seeds, the Minister said. He advised farmers to go for alternative crop instead of soya beans. Farmers must check the quality while purchasing soya seed from private dealers, Niranjan Reddy said, suggesting that farmers can cultivate peanuts, sesame and mustard crops.

With these crops that have high demand in the market, farmers can make more profits and officials must educate them in this regard, the Minister said, and asked farmers to get receipts from dealers after purchasing seed. Seed should not be purchased from unlicensed dealers, he warned.

Stern action would be taken against those who sell spurious cotton seed to farmers, the Minister warned.

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