ONGOLE: Recently, the district agriculture department was directed by the State authorities to establish one Seed Storage Hub (SSH) in every mandal headquarter and five Rythu Bharosa Kendrams (RBKs) at five selected village secretariats on a pilot project basis. Authorities are making arrangements to set up total 56 SSHs and 290 RBKs across the district by January 1, 2020.
Officials are looking into the availability of buildings to set up the storage hubs and identifying secretariats for the RBKs. They have sent the preliminary report to higher ups. The RBKs would facilitate the farmers to utilise benefits of government schemes, in particular the YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan programme.
Officials have been instructed to find out around 2,000 square feet to 3,000 square feet plinth area government or private building at every mandal headquarter for the proposed SSHs and 1,000 square feet to 1,100 square feet plinth area building/space for the proposed RBKs.
Agriculture department sub-division assistant directors should inspect those proposed/identified buildings and once they qualify the buildings, they will send their final report to the Agriculture Directors’ office.
After acquiring the mandal-level SSH buildings, Agriculture department officials will give permissions to AP Agro’s Company to provide the required quantity of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides according to the orders placed by the concerned RBKs. AP Agro’s will keep its stocks here at the hubs and will supply them according to the farmers’ requirements in various mandals.
To monitor the hubs and the supplier’s work efficacy, two mandal parishad extention officers (MPEOs) will be deputed at all SSHs. “As per the directions, we have sent particulars of a preliminary mandal-level hub and village secretariat buildings and are awaiting orders from higher officials. As soon as we receive the orders, we are going to act accordingly,” Joint Director (Agriculture) PV Srirama Murthy explained.