The budgetary allocation to agriculture and allied sectors, including free power subsidy and loan waiver, would be between Rs.10,000 crore and Rs.20,000 crore, according to Agriculture Minister P.Pulla Rao, who is all set to present Agriculture Budget for 2014-15 to the Assembly on August 22.
In an informal chat with reporters in the Assembly lobbies on Tuesday, he said the government would be spending nearly Rs.3,000 crore on power subsidy this year.
He said the aim behind separate agriculture budget was to send a message to farmers that government was according high priority to agriculture sector. He said priority would also be accorded to drip irrigation and said State would get 90 per cent Central subsidy for drip irrigation once Special Category Status was granted. Agri-based industries would get a fillip once the status was given.
He said the Speaker could use his discretionary powers to allow the government to present agriculture budget this year, while it was proposed to amend the relevant act to make it a permanent feature.
The Minister said that a MoU would be signed between the State Government and ICRISAT by this month-end on seeking the latter’s technical expertise in improving soil fertility to improve yields. He said ICRISAT had assured that yields would improve by 10 per cent and input costs would reduce by 30 per cent.
He said 13.50 lakh agricultural pumpsets would be replaced in a phased manner by solar pump sets across the State and quotations were being sought from companies in this regard. Use of solar pump sets would help in reducing power subsidy.
