Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari,IAS held a review meeting on Agriculture Department at BRKR Bhavan today. Secretary of Agriculture Raghunandan Rao, Commissioner of Horticulture Hanumantha Rao, Marketing, Cooperation Department, Oil Fed, HACA, Warehouses and Agros department officials attended this review meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary said that in accordance with the vision of the government, after the formation of Telangana state, the goal of one crore acres of Magani has been achieved due to pro-agricultural policies. Due to revolutionary schemes such as irrigation facility, Rythu Bandhu, mechanization, Rythu Bhima, 24 hours electricity supply, purchase of agricultural produce etc., paddy is cultivated in the state in total of one crore twenty lakh acres during Vanakalam and Yasangi. After paddy, cotton is grown in 56.37 lakh acres, she said. Telangana is second in the country in Rice production and third in Cotton production, she said.
65 lakh farmers in the state till now Rs.65,191 crores have been received Rythu Bandhu. She said that Rs 4,896 crore has been provided to the families of 97,913 farmers under Rythu Bhima. Enough fertilizers and seeds for the upcoming monsoon season should be kept ready, she informed.
Marketing of fake seeds is being strictly dealt with in the state, as part of which 551 people have been arrested and 347 cases have been registered. Out of these, 16 people have been booked under the PD Act and 11,872 quintals of fake seeds have been seized. Innovative policies such as connecting the agricultural sector with the industrial sector in the state and giving priority to the health of the people should be carried out on a wider scale through extensive promotion of Vijaya oil products, organic cultivation of fruits and provision of campus placements for agricultural university students should be taken up, she added.
A special steering committee has been formed under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to provide digital services on innovative topics such as providing agricultural technology to farmers in the state, Agri start-ups, food processing units etc. This committee will have Secretary of Agriculture Department, Secretary of Revenue Department and Secretary of IT Department as members. She suggested that there is a need to make more progress in the field of horticulture, especially to encourage farmers on a large scale in the cultivation of vegetables. Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari cautioned against circulation of adulterated oils and to prevent this, extensive marketing of unadulterated Vijaya oil products should be taken up.
