CM YS Jagan for speeding up of agri-infra projects works

Vijayawada: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials to ensure significant progress in infrastructure development projects in the agricultural sector this year.

The Chief Minister reviewed fundraising and tie-ups related to 15 different projects, including dry storage-drying platforms, warehouses, infrastructure in horticulture, primary processing centres, assaying equipment, procurement centres, e-marketing, mega custom hiring hubs, custom hiring centres at RBK (Rythu Bharosa Kendra) level, combined harvesters in paddy grown districts, MACs-BMCs, aqua infra, fishing harbours-fish landing centres, food processing centres and infrastructure in animal husbandry department. The state government has been spending about Rs 16,320 crore for these projects.

During the review, the Chief Minister said the infrastructure development projects should be made available to farmers and agriculture-allied sectors very soon to ensure additional income to farmers. He said change must be felt at ground level and added that construction of all types of structures, including warehouses, should be expedited.

He said there is a good demand for organic and natural farming products across the globe and the farmers should take advantage of these opportunities. He said a custom hiring centre on organic farming should be setup at every RBK by next year and directed the officials to create awareness among famers on it.

He asked the officials to arrange machinery and equipment required for organic and natural farming at every RBK and ensure better rate for products of organic and natural farming methods besides coming up with a policy to provide incentives to farmers who use organic and natural farming methods.

The officials informed the Chief Minister that the process of setting up 13 secondary processing units is on fast track. They said they have readied 175 ambulances for animals, one in each constituency, which will start in March.

They said 28,00,502 litre milk is being collected per month in about 1,100 villages under Jagananna Palavelluva scheme and 2.03 crore litre milk has been collected so far. They said Rs 86.58 crore was paid to farmers so far and additional benefit to them is Rs 14.68 crore. Amul will start collection of milk in Visakhapatnam district next month and it will also open dairy products units in Chittoor, Krishna and Visakhapatnam.

The officials informed the Chief Minister that they are providing around 80,000 jobs directly and indirectly through aqua hubs and spokes. They said 70 aqua hubs and 14,000 spokes will be set up by June across the state and the target of setting up three pre-processing plants and 10 processing plants is in process, adding that they have setup nine societies in this regard.

The officials informed the Chief Minister that the works related to fishing harbours in Juvvaladinne, Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam are in progress and they will expedite the works in Uppada also and added that they will make efforts to complete the works within four months. They said works in Pudimadaka, Biyyaputhippa, Odarevu and Kottapatnam will start in second phase and they will be completed by the end of December 2022.