Minister for Agriculture S. Niranjan Reddy has asked the farmers who are engaged in paddy cultivation on regular basis to switch to other crops which have good demand in the market such as chilli, redgram and others before the focus on paddy turns into a bane.
Speaking after inaugurating a paddy procurement centre operated by IKP (self-help) groups and a Rythu Vedika building at Kesaram village in Suryapet district along with Minister for Energy G. Jagadish Reddy, Chairman of the Civil Supplies Corporation M. Srinivas Reddy and others, Mr. Niranjan Reddy said the time was ripe to adopt changes in cropping pattern in tune with market demands.
Stating that cultivation of paddy in the vanakalam and yasangi seasons had reached almost similar proportion, the Minister said it was the result of decisions taken and executed by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Paddy was cultivated in 53.25 lakh acres and 52.8 lakh acres, respectively, in the two seasons of the 2020-21 agricultural year.
In the combined Nalgonda district, paddy cultivation was taken up in 10.07 lakh acres and 11.48 lakh acres, respectively, in the two seasons amounting to nearly 19% and 21.75% of the total extent in the State, the Minister explained.
Under Rythu Bandhu, 977 farmers of Kesaram village had received ₹88.52 lakh as investment support for the yasangi season alone. He complimented the people of Suryapet for taking vegetable growing as part of their roof gardens. He stated that agriculture sector providing direct employment to about 2.4 crore people in the State as there were 60 lakh farmers engaged in agriculture directly or indirectly.
Stating that it was after formation of Telangana the farmers under Musi project were raising two crops every year for the last four years, Minister Mr. Jagadish Reddy said repairs to Musi gates was taken up with ₹10 crore to store water at full reservoir level.
The two Ministers requested the paddy farmers to get their produce without chaff and moisture content up to 17% to get the support price of ₹1,888 per quintal for the ‘A’ grade crop. They stated that procurement centre were being opened to help the farming community during the COVID-19 pandemic times.
