HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday decided to call a meeting soon with all the agriculture officers working at the field level to discuss the policy that he wants to bring forth to help farmers get a better price for their produce.
The Chief Minister, during a review on agriculture with officials and experts at Pragathi Bhavan on Sunday, felt that farmers should go in for diversification of crops instead of cultivating a same crop. “This way, they could avoid incurring losses,” he said.
He discussed what crops should be grown and in how much area and what should be the post-harvest strategy for marketing the produce. The Chief Minister, after his meeting with the agriculture officers at field level, would speak to agriculture extension officers and representatives of Rythu Bandhu committees over video conference for their opinion on evolving the policy.
He expressed confidence that Telangana would rise to a level where it would be able to feed the entire country. Rao wanted the rice millers to augment their capacity since the annual production of paddy would be about 2.7 crore tonnes in the near future in Telangana. The Civil Supplies Department should be able to procure rice at MSP, he said.
Earlier in the meeting, the experts from agriculture sector advised the Chief Minister to ensure that farmers would go in for a crop that the government suggests and that in the extent of area that it decides. If any farmer gives a go by to the government’s direction, action should be taken against him/her in the form of making the person ineligible for Rythu Bandhu subsidy and MSP for his produce, they said. They felt it may not be possible for the government to be as magnanimous in future as it was now in procuring the foodgrains as at present they are going through a difficult phase on account of the lockdown. The farmers should be encouraged to go in for palm oil, which can give yield for 30 to 40 years non-stop.