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AP Govt starts Custom Hiring Centres
Announcing the establishment of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) at village level to provide required machinery to farmers on rental basis, minister for agriculture Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said that farmers can also avail facilities like securing loans, fertilisers, seeds and other inputs at Primary Agriculture Co-operative Societies (PACS).
Amaravati: Announcing the establishment of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) at village level to provide required machinery to farmers on rental basis, minister for agriculture Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said that farmers can also avail facilities like securing loans, fertilisers, seeds and other inputs at Primary Agriculture Co-operative Societies (PACS).
Speaking to press corps, after attending a review meeting organised by Chief Minister on agriculture and irrigation sectors at the Secretariat in Velagapudi on Thursday, the minister said that all the transactions would be made online at PACS.
Revealing that the government would release Rs 1,680 crore as input subsidy in the first week of June, he said Rs 9.03 crore input subsidy for horticulture crop damaged a year ago in Guntur district was released on Thursday.
The minister said that the government was making plans to bring model Agriculture Land Leasing Act to ensure the benefits being provided by government go to tenant farmers. At present, benefits like crop insurance, input subsidy are being availed by land owners.
“The government is giving top priority to mechanisation in Agriculture,” he said and added that it would spend Rs 450 crore in this fiscal for the same.
Somireddy said that water would be released to Godavari delta farmers in the first week of June so that farmers can start their farming operations in advance. “We will set up Agri Watch committees, which will comprise of experts from ICRISAT, NG Ranga Agricultural University, agriculture and irrigation department officials, who will guide the farmers on choosing the crop for cultivation as per the climatic conditions of that area,” he informed.
He informed that government distributed 15 lakh Soil Health Cards till date and another 11 lakh cards would be distributed in the days to come. “Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has agreed to fill 50 per cent of vacant posts in the sericulture department. 30 per cent of vacancies in the horticulture department will also be filled in the coming days,” he stated.
Disclosing that Chief Minister directed the finance department to allocate Rs 250 crore additional budget towards seed subsidy and the farmers can avail one more bag of ground nut seed in addition to present three bags of seeds.
Replying to a query, the minister said that periodical inspection by vigilance and agriculture departments would curb the menace of spurious seeds, which was ruining the lives of farmers. He said the government has deposited Rs 39 crore in the bank accounts of chilli farmers as support price for the purchase of 2.45 lakh quintals of chilli.
Slamming the Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy for accusing the government of neglecting farmers, he said that he and civil supplies minister Prathipati Pulla Rao have convinced mirchi yard staff not to take summer leaves and continue purchase of chilli from the farmers.
