HYDERABAD: Chief secretary SK Joshi has directed agriculture officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan within 15 days on turmeric and chilli crops. “Discuss with farmers, scientists and traders, and come up with an action plan for developing the turmeric and chilli crops,” he told reporters after a review meeting held at the Secretariat here on Wednesday.
Around 70,000 turmeric farmers and 1.40 lakh chilli farmers in Khammam, Nizamabad, Warangal, Jagitial, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mahabubabad and Bhadradri districts should benefit from the action plan. These farmers should be provided 100 per cent drip irrigation facility and given timely suggestions on the use of fertilisers and pesticide.
“Prepare a road map for these crops for the next three to five years. Integrated pest management, market linkage, buyers and sellers meet and other issues should be discussed in the action plan,” Joshi said.
Agriculture principal secretary C Parthasarathi said that farmers in the state were producing as many as eight kinds of spices.