Director for Agriculture K. Dhanunjaya Reddy has said that summer pulses programme is going to be launched by the Department of Agriculture to meet the growing demand.
He took part in a workshop on the programme here on Tuesday in which a large number of farmers from six districts participated.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Reddy said pulses purchasing centres would be set up in Anantapur and Kadapa districts through Markfed in the first phase and in other districts later as per the requirement. Stating that there was a huge gap between the production and demand for pulses, he said the summer pulses programme had been taken up to ensure self-sufficiency in pulses.
The production of red gram was very high last year at 2.20 lakh metric tonne. It was being cultivated on canal bunds in the two Godavari districts.
The cultivation of black gram would be taken up in four lakh hectares and green gram in two lakh hectares in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and twin Godavari districts in the coming rabi season. Under the summer pulses programme, it had been targeted to cultivate pulses in 2.30 lakh hectares in Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Chittoor, Krishna and the twin Godavari districts as the third crop. An action plan had been formulated accordingly, he said. The price of black gram was decreasing.
No paddy cultivation
Speaking further, Mr. Reddy said that no paddy cultivation had been taken up in 3.50 lakh hectares in the four Rayalaseema districts besides Nellore and Prakasam in the last season due to low rainfall. The summer pulses cultivation would be encouraged in the Rayalaseema districts. Water cannons would be distributed to farmers on subsidy to overcome insufficient moisture during summer.
He informed that steps would be taken to cultivate pulses along with paddy and maize in 2.30 lakh hectares in the Godavari delta from the next year.
Mr. Reddy maintained that pulses cultivation would be encouraged next year in Krishna delta as water would be released from the Pattiseema project. It would also be encouraged under the Nagarjuna Sagar project ayacut in 1 lakh hectares as pre-kharif crop. He informed that seeds, fertilisers, oil engines and water cans would be distributed to farmers at 33% subsidy. He made it clear that the Department of Agriculture would work in coordination with the Water Resources Department to cultivate more area with less water. If rabi and kharif were completed in time, he said it would be easy to cultivate pulses in summer.
