Telangana govt eyes 84.66 lakh MT foodgrain production: Pocharam

​Hyderabad: The State government is expecting foodgrains production to be up to 84.66 lakh metric tons this year, Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy said here on Monday.

"The average of last five years was 81.75 lakh metric tons. This year the expected foodgrains production is 84.66 lakh metric tons. It will come, there is no doubt," he said in the Legislative Assembly during a budget discussion. Sowing in the last kharif season was 90 per cent and the rabi was up to 120 per cent (14.48 lakh hectares against an average of 12 lakh hectares in all crops), he said.

Responding to the criticism of Opposition Congress that the allocation for agriculture in the budget 2017-18 has come down to Rs 5,942.97 crore this year from Rs 6,600 crore last year, Reddy said a fund of Rs 1,000 crore taken from NABARD was not included in the budget allocation. He spoke at length on the challenges in agriculture sector and the measures taken by the State government to improve the situation.

Speaking during the debate, Congress member T Jeevan Reddy alleged that the Centre is going to help in the implementation of farm loan waiver promise of BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

Stating that the Centre should have a uniform policy at the national level, he said the House should pass a resolution urging that Telangana should also be helped. Responding to the matter, BJP floor leader G Kishan Reddy said loan waiver in UP would be implemented with the state government's funds