Let's hope KCR's agriculture policy will reap rich harvest

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, the other day, said that his endeavour was to get the farmers Rythu Bandhu support cent per cent and to make them get a competitive price for their crops through regulatory farming methods and cultivation.

He declared that only by cultivating the crops that have demand in the market, the farmers would get a good price. He said that Agriculture department and Agriculture University will guide farmers on which crop to cultivate and if farmers follow the suggestions, they will not face any problem.

Telangana is blessed with a wide variety of soil, moderate weather conditions, good rainfall and its farmers have the required professional skills. If the State government turns genuinely pro-farmer, farmers in the State would become a very competitive farming community in the world.

Agriculture is a major activity in Telangana life. The future of agriculture should be promising. Telangana farmers should earn profits by selling quality produce in the world market, if everything goes well as the Chief Minister wished.

Farmers are incurring losses as they are all cultivating the same crops which are causing less demand in the market. The government has done a lot of thinking on the matter and suggested to farmers to follow the regulatory cultivation methods.

The agriculture scientists have decided which crop should be cultivated, where and to what extent in which season? The agro-business wing has decided on which crops has demand in the market. Based on this, the government is planning to make suggestions.

If we look at the records, we will come to know that during the last monsoon, paddy was cultivated in 40 lakh acres. The government feels that this time also paddy should be cultivated in the same extent of land. Last year, cotton was cultivated in 53 lakh acres.

This year it should be increased to 70 Lakh acres. Red gram was cultivated in 7 lakh acres last year. This is year it should be in 15 lakh acres. Soya bean, turmeric, chilli, vegetables and other such crops like in the last year, should be cultivated in the same extent of land.

Farmers producing variety of seeds should continue their efforts. Maize cultivation, the government rightly feels, should be undertaken during Rabi. Those cultivating maize during the monsoon should switch over to cotton and grams.

The Chief Minister went ahead and suggested that farmers should cultivate those varieties, which have demand in the market. There is a lot of demand for Telangana Sona variety. The Chief Minister declared that he would construct Rythu Vedika in his agriculture cluster in Erravelli with his own money.

The Ministers as well as other leaders too came forward with similar promise. So far, so good. The government should keep every promise uttered for its own good.

Farmers are an unforgiving lot. If they seriously pick up the advice, they also expect the government to keep its word. Otherwise, it would lead to a heavy price for the party in power.

He has thus become the first Chief Minister to enter the uncharted territory of regulatory farming. We can only wish him good luck.