VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday directed the officials of agriculture and allied departments to expedite various initiatives taken up like multipurpose centres, community hiring centres, food processing, fishing harbours, bulk milk cooling centres with an estimated cost of Rs 16,236 crore. Reviewing the progress of projects with officials, the Chief Minister asked them to get ready for the second phase of works and ensure projects are completed on time.
Multipurpose Facility Centres (MPFC) will be set up near Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) to help the farmers in different ways. A total 15 types of basic services including dry storage, drying platforms, warehouses, primary processing centres, assessing equipment, e-marketing will be available. Estimated cost for MPFCs is Rs 2,930 crore. Another important project taken up to benefit farmers is community hiring centres (CHCs) at Assembly constituency level, where mechanised farm equipment can be hired.
Officials said in the first phase, 3,250 CHCs have been inaugurated and in the second phase, by September, another 3,250 CHCs will be set up and among them 500 harvesters and 85 hitech high value hubs will be there. Under the third phase, by December, 4,250 CHCs will be set up and 535 harvesters and 85 hubs will be arranged. That is a total 10,750 CHCs, 1035 combine harvesters and 175 hubs will be set up in the state with an estimated cost of Rs 2,134 crore.
Emphasising the need for upgrading the skills to manage, maintain and operate the farm equipment, he asked the officials to introduce related courses at ITI and Polytechnic course level. It will help in creating human resources skilled in farm equipment operation, maintenance and servicing at village level itself. The State government has decided to set up organic dairies and Animal Husbandry custom hiring centers at RBKs level with an estimated cost of Rs 22.25 crore and the works will start in September.
Officials said seed cum millet processing units were planned at 33 locations and depending on the requirement, two such units will be located at the same places. Lands for setting up the units have been identified. Under Jagananna Pala Velluva scheme, automatic milk collection units and bulk milk cooling centres will be set up with an estimated cost of Rs 4,190 crore. The Chief Minister said financial assistance under YSR Aasara will be given in September as assistance under YSR Cheyutha was already released.
He asked fisheries department officials to expedite the fishing harbour project. At present works in only four of the eight proposed fishing harbours have been taken up and the officials were asked to ground works in the remaining four harbours. State is investing Rs 3,997 crore on construction of aqua hubs, fish land centres, fishing harbours, fish and shrimp processing units.
The State Government will set up 10 processing units, 23 pre-processing units and 100 aqua hubs with a total of 133 units in the Aqua sector and a plan was prepared to launch processing centres in September 2022. The officials said Fish landing centre works were almost completed in Manchinillapeta and efforts are being made to set up fish landing centres at Chintapalli, Bhimili, Rajayapeta and Kothapatnam and to set up floating jetties in 20 locations.