Collector asks farmers to give details to PACS offices

Khammam: District Collector Siddharth Jain has asked the farmers who are the members of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) and other societies to provide their bank account numbers, mobile phone numbers and other details at the society offices at the earliest. The details would enable the officials to send advice or guidelines with regard to modern methods in agriculture. The officials can also send the subsidies and other financial aid to the farmers through bank accounts. The Collector was the chief guest at a programme organised by the officials of Andhra Pradesh Water Sector Improvement Project (APWSIP) in the town on Thursday. Farmers under the ayacut of Nagarjuna Sagar Canal (NSC) in the district and those working in allied fields (dairy units, cattle and sheep rearing etc) participated in the meeting. He said that the villages in 20 mandals under the NSC ayacut have favourable conditions for agriculture, dairy units and other occupations. He asked the officials of the market committees and societies to help the farmers to get bank loans, minimum support price for their yields, subsidies on seeds and fertilizers and other benefits. The experienced farmers can guide others about the market trends of various commodities, in the local markets as well in the international markets, before selling their agriculture products, the Collector said. State Planning Officer and agriculture expert M N Reddy stressed the need to implement modern methods in the cultivation of conventional crops (paddy and other popular varieties). He also asked the farmers to go for other varieties which would not bring losses. Agriculture Joint Director Rafi Ahmed, agriculture expert Narayana Chowdhary, District Traders Association president Koppu Nareshkumar, horticulture assistant director Subbarayudu and others were present at the meeting.