Hyderabad: Telangana state finance minister T Harish Rao has announced that 140 acres of land will soon be allocated to Konda Laxman Bapuji Horticulture University, Mulugu in a bid to promote agricultural research.
Harish Rao urged the students to identify crops and practices to make farming rewarding. He asked them to work on methods to check investment, fertiliser, pesticide usage on crops, and improve the yield. “Research will become purposeful when the fruits of research at the varsity reach the farmer,” he said.
Harish Rao was the chief guest at the 7th foundation day of the Konda Laxman Bapuji University and spoke for a good 20 minutes addressing the students and faculty of the institution.
Speaking on the burning issue of paddy procurement, Harish Rao said that the centre has given up on the farmers and is looking at the issue only through the lens of a profit-loss statement. “The government should help people who are in distress. They shouldn’t look at every issue with a business motive,” he said.
He stressed the need of moving farmers away from producing paddy to profitable crops like oilseeds and lentils because the centre is clear that they wouldn’t procure paddy. “The Centre says they can’t procure paddy because they have more than enough. They have given up on farmers,” he said.
The finance minister also said that since the formation of the new state, the TRS government led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has transformed agriculture from a futile exercise to a celebratory one.
“If we remind ourselves of 10 years ago, famine was everywhere. Governments used to set up gruel centres in drought-hit areas in the state. Hon’ble Chief Minister KCR has given free 24*7 electricity, crop support, crop insurance which led to the farmers standing on their own feet. This is the history of the TRS government and the Chief Minister,” he remarked.
The finance minister then went through an exhibition of crops put on display at the university.
Vice-chancellor and Professor Neeraja Prabhakar, Zilla Parishad Chairperson V Roja, Forest Development Corporation Chairman Vanteru Prathapa Reddy, MLC Dr. V Yadava Reddy, Additional Collector Muzammil Khan and others were present.