Ensure remunerative price for paddy: Jagan

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed the agriculture department to ensure remunerative price for paddy this season. Addressing a review meeting on agriculture and allied sectors on Monday, he made it clear that he does not want to see any complaint from farmers that they are getting less than Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce.

The civil supplies department should coordinate with the agriculture department to ensure farmers sell their produce at MSP, besides focusing on paddy procurement using e-cropping data. Input subsidy and zero-interest farm loans will be credited into the bank accounts of farmers on November 29, he disclosed. 

Insisting that the officials take paddy procurement as a challenge, Jagan said it should be ensured that every farmer gets a better price for his produce. All Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) in the State should be equipped to undertake soil testing by March next to help farmers raise suitable crops with minimum investment, which also helps check indiscriminate use of fertilisers, Jagan explained. 

He also directed the officials to ensure that the RBKs are equipped with drones while making agricultural machinery available to farmers through community hiring centres to reduce cost of cultivation. Under YSR Polambadi, agricultural university students should be asked to do apprenticeship in fields practically as it helps farmers gain knowledge in modern methods of cultivation, he stressed.

The officials informed him that Rabi crop is expected to be cultivated in 22.92 lakh hectares and steps have been taken to ensure adequate supply of seeds and fertilisers to farmers. The State has received an average rainfall of 775 mm from June to November and the production of foodgrains in Kharif season is estimated at 186 lakh metric tonnes. 

 The AP Seeds Development Corporation won the India Agri Business-2022 Award of ICFA (Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture) in the seeds category, the officials informed the chief minister.