HYDERABAD: To enhance storage capacity for agricultural produce, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao has directed officials to construct godowns and cold storage facilities by utilising funds from NABARD and the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
On Tuesday, he held a review meeting with officials from the Agriculture and Marketing departments.
During the meeting, he instructed officials to ensure that only farmers are allowed to sell their produce in Rythu Bazaars. He also directed the installation of CCTV cameras in all markets and Rythu Bazaars to improve transparency and monitoring.
Additionally, he asked officials to examine and act upon requests from public representatives regarding the reorganisation of market yards.
With the Kharif season approaching, Nageswara Rao emphasised the need to ensure timely availability of seeds and fertilisers to farmers.
The minister also instructed officials to complete soil testing for two lakh samples by the end of the month. He further directed officials to initiate the transfer of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) CEOs through state-level committees.
He also urged them to review the establishment of newly proposed PACS and expedite the conversion of 311 FACS into Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).