VIJAYAWADA: Directing the officials to prepare a crop calendar for the Rabi-Kharif-Rabi seasons in a manner that benefits farmers, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that harvesting and marketing of crops should be aligned with this calendar.
Holding a review on paddy procurement and the marketing of various agricultural produce at the State Secretariat on Tuesday, the Chief Minister advised that farmers should be educated on which crops to cultivate during the Rabi-Kharif-Rabi seasons and which crops would be beneficial to them.
He stressed the need to improve the quality of crop produce and to provide proper guidance even during the harvesting stage. He also called for a focus on processing, along with transportation of produce to domestic and international markets, including through cold chain facilities. Logistics facilities such as rail cargo should be provided to transport agricultural produce to markets across the country.
He also made it clear that the bank guarantee issues being faced in the North Andhra districts should be resolved to ensure that farmers do not face any inconvenience. From the review meeting itself, the Chief Minister spoke to the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) Convener and issued necessary instructions. He directed bankers to provide bank guarantees uniformly across the state.
The Chief Minister also instructed that millers involved in procurement from farmers should not indulge in any irregularities.
With regard to the issues pertaining to mango farmers, the Chief Minister stated that despite financial constraints, the state government has provided ?184 crore as subsidy payments to support mango farmers, and that Andhra Pradesh is paying an additional ?4 per kilogram as incentive-something not seen in any other state. He urged pulp processing units to be generous towards farmers.
“While the government is paying an additional ?4 per kilogram to protect mango farmers, it has come to my notice that some pulping units are deliberately causing hardship to farmers. The government would deal strictly with such actions,” he asserted and made it clear that farmers should not suffer due to certain individuals or processing units, and that stringent action would be taken against anyone whose actions tarnish the image of the government.
Ministers K. Atchannaidu and Nadendla Manohar attended the review virtually.