HYDERABAD: In its efforts to make agriculture a profitable venture and to make farmers as “real kings”, the TRS government has decided to take the help of noted Indian agricultural economist and a former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) Ashok Gulati.  Gulati will soon conduct a workshop in Hyderabad for the benefit of officials and farmers.

“In my recent tour to Delhi, I met agriculture economist Ashok Gulati. I have invited him to the State to conduct workshop on these issues. Gulati agreed and will be visiting the State shortly,” Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced at a detailed review on encouraging the food processing industries in the State at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday.  The meeting decided to prepare an action plan on food processing industry.

“This is a beginning of revolution in food processing and let us make it a success”, Rao told the officials. “If all the farmers raised same crop in the State it will lead to several complications. We have to create an awareness among farmers on how to raise crops. The State will be divided into crop colonies and farmers should cultivate different types of crops to meet all the food requirements of the people of the State,” Rao said.

If all the farmers raised the same crop across the State in a stereotyped traditional manner, it would lead to several problems not to only to farmers but also to the people, he said.The crops should be raised as per the demand in the market, Rao suggested. Rao pointed that the current crop pattern being adopted by the farmers was not meeting the peoples’ demands fully.

“We are importing not only vegetables, but also coriander leaves (Kothimeera) and cumin (Jeela karra). This is very unfortunate. We should improve the cultivation of vegetables,” Rao said.Rao further said that the experience of Mulkanuru village should be emulated.

In Mulkanuru, farmers adopted cooperative model and got excellent results. The entire State should emulate that model, Rao said.The Chief Minister, however felt the need to have proper statistics of agriculture and related departments.

In the wake of lack of appropriate statistics in the State, it would be very difficult to take any policy decisions on agriculture, Rao said.

Accurate data was required on paddy, fruit and cereals production.  He wished that the Agriculture and the Horticulture departments should performer more and place Telangana on the top among all the states in the country in the export of process food products. Rao said that IKP-women group members would be involved in food processing units and also exports of food products to other states and countries. Rao suggested the officials to think out of box and obtain better results.

Rao said that the State government was ready to spend any amount of money for learning. For successful food processing units to be started, the Chief Minister told officers, to go to any part of the world for learning the best practices.

Rao suggested that the 45 lakh members of Indira Kranti Padham (IKP) belonging to 4.1 lakh groups should be given comprehensive training to begin with.

Rao suggested to establish crop colonies, regulating seed companies, prohibit the sale of spurious seeds, make available seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. He wanted the officials to prepare an action plan for mechanisation of agriculture.

Secretaries to CM appointed

Hyderabad: The State government re-appointed secretaries to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Chief Secretary SK Joshi issued orders re-appointing five secretaries to CM and they are K Bhoopal Reddy (IFS, retired) - Special Secretary to CM S Narsing Rao (retired) - Principal Secretary to CM P Rajasekhar Reddy (Regional PF Commissioner) - Special Secretary to CM Smita Sabharwal (IAS) - Secretary to CM Sandeep Kumar Sultania (IAS) - Additional Secretary to CM