“Farmers in Telangana should go in for alternative crops instead of cotton crop and opt Soya Bean, Maize, Red Gram, Green Gram, Black Gram and others”, Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has said.
Speaking to the media at the Secretariat here on Monday, the Minister said adequate stocks of seeds and fertilizers are made available at all districts, mandals and villages and can be obtained at subsidized price cooperative offices he said. Cotton crop alone occupies a major chunk of 42 per cent of total sown area of 1.5 cr hectares in the state there is a need to replace with alternate crops. The Government has kept ready 8.50 lakh quintals of seeds of all varieties against the requirement of 5.69 lakh quintals he said. Against requirement of 17.87 lakh metric tons of fertilizers, 8.16 lakh mt is kept ready and 1.50 lakh mt will arrive in June and will get the rest on demand he said. Chief Minister K Chnadrasekhar Rao has directed the officials concerned to ensure adequate and timely supply of the seeds and fertilizers and steps have already been taken for the same he said.
To ensure adequate stocks available norms were eased besides decentralizing powers to get seeds and fertilizers from Markfed and cooperative offices. Earlier he conducted a video conference with officials of agriculture and insurance on preparedness for adequate supply of seeds, fertilizers to the farmers on time and bringing poly-house farming under insurance cover. The farmers need not panic as the government has already supplied the stocks of seeds and fertilizers to districts, mandals and villages.
To encourage the farmers the seeds are being offered at subsidised and old price. Farmers including tenants can avail them he said adding that can get the same by producing pass books available. In Rabi 67 per cent of crops sown through 7.99 lakh hectares out of 10.69 lakh hectare, he said. (NSS)