Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked the officials to ensure that the farmers who are selling their produce should be provided with the Minimum Support Price (MSP). He also wanted to see that there was no scope for corruption in the procurement process.
At a review meeting on agriculture and civil supplies departments at his camp office at Tadepalli near Vijayawada on October 11 (Wednesday), the Chief Minister asked the officials to do away with the system of intermediaries and role of millers in the procurement process. The farmers were getting an additional ₹250 per quintal by way of GLT (Gunnies Labour and Transport) during procurement, along with the MSP, he said.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that steps should be taken to use the procured millets in the food processing units being set up. “More food processing units should be established as the quantity of procured millets will go up, besides distributing them through the PDS outlets and creating awareness among people on the health benefits of millet intake,” he said.
Pointing out that ₹31,005.04 crore has been spent on Rythu Bharosa so far, the Chief Minister asked the officials to get ready for the distribution of this year’s second tranche of the benefits.
Stressing the need to conduct soil tests at the RBK level for the cultivation of high-yielding crops, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that all RBKs should be equipped with the necessary facilities for conducting the tests and issuing certificates so that farmers would save money on fertilizers and choose the right crop.
Highlighting the importance of the Cheyutha programme, he directed them to focus on supporting the SHG members by arranging bank loans in addition to the financial help extended by the government and helping them launch sustainable self-employment outlets. “It is also the responsibility of the officials to ensure that the women succeed in their endeavours through regular monitoring and evaluation,” he said.
Kisan Drone
The officials informed the Chief Minister that they were procuring millets, along with paddy, from farmers. So far, 422 farmers have been trained in the use of ‘Kisan Drones’ and the training will be completed for at least one farmer in each mandal by the November-end.
Rabi cultivation would be undertaken in about 10 lakh acres, making use of 73% of the available area. About 1 lakh quintals of Bengal gram and other seeds are kept ready while the subsidy on Bengal gram has been increased to 40% from 25% . The distribution of 45% of the seeds has been completed, and e-cropping on kharif has been completed up to 85% and it would be completed by October 15, they said.
Minister for Agriculture and Cooperation K. Govardhana Reddy, Civil Supplies Minister K. V. Nageswara Rao, Animal Husbandry Minister S. Appala Raju, Andhra Pradesh Agri Mission Vice-Chairman M.V.S. Nagi Reddy and others were present.
