Foundation for better farming

The foundation for the State Agriculture University will be laid by the chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on November 16, according to State Agriculture Minister Prattipati Pulla Rao.

Addressing Reporters at the party office here on Friday, Pulla Rao made it clear that the Agriculture Research Center at the Lam Farm will be upgraded into a state Agriculture University and works would commence from January 2016.

The state government had already released Rs.75 crores last year and another Rs.10 crores this year. If in future the centre sanctioned a central university it would be taken up in addition to the present state university.

Replying to a question Pulla Rao said that 196 mandals have been declared drought hit in the state and more mandals will be brought under drought-hit after a review of the situation next week.

The minister claimed that no other government had made such market interventions as the TDP government with regard to onions, Red gram. The government spent Rs.60 crores on onions subsidy and Rs.270 crores on Red gram dal subsidy.

The minister also announced one third subsidies for five crops including paddy, red gram, green gram, black gram and groundnut on seed supplies for the forthcoming Rabi crop.

He said that weather experts have predicted good rains on November 11 and 12 and if it happened the crops would be saved. He said that the government is offering subsidies for sinking bore-wells and giving power connections in 3 days for saving the standing crops. The farmers are employing several methods to save the crops includin getting tank water and using Rain Guns.