VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday said the State government would set up soil fertility testing centres in all villages. The AP Seed Corporation will purchase produce directly from farmers to produce quality seeds, he said. The decisions were taken at the review meeting held by the Chief Minister with Agriculture department officials.
Jagan said plans should be prepared to work in tandem with Walmart and ITC so that they provide a better market to the farmers and bring in e-commerce for the sale of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.It was also decided to give tabs/mobile phones to all village agriculture assistants and provide I-cross registration to all crops. Weather forecast centres will be set up in 2,000 more villages and efforts will be made to give a good price to organic products.
The CM also wanted officials to give incentives to farmers cultivating pulses and millets. “YSR Polambadi programme would be implemented to create awareness among farmers on modern farming techniques,’’ Jagan said.
The agriculture officials informed the Chief Minister that the State received 1.4 per cent excess rainfall this season. Farmers have taken up cultivation of paddy in 1.12 lakh hectares of land during the Rabi season and the extent of crop may be increased due to the favourable weather conditions. The farmers are expected to take up cultivation of Bengal gram in 5.5 hectares of land this season.
The Chief Minister directed the officials to strengthen the workshops being conducted near the Village Secretariats and name them Rythu Bharosa centres. He said only quality seeds and fertilisers should be sold at the shops being set up near the workshops. When Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kanna Babu said that toll free numbers were launched in each district to solve the problems of farmers, the Chief Minister said the issues of farmers should be solved at the village secretariat level.
The Chief Minister said that quality should be maintained at all shops selling agriculture produce.
“If a farmer has suffered a loss in the Kharif, he/she should be provided compensation even before the commencement of Rabi season,’’ Jagan asserted. The meeting also discussed plans to establish agriculture labs at the district and constituency level.