Govt for horticulture growth with training, tech support
Telangana Farmers Commission Chairman Kodanda Reddy has reiterated the state government’s commitment to significantly enhancing vegetable cultivation across the region. Speaking as the chief guest at a training programme for 150 vegetable volunteer farmers, he emphasised that plans are being formulated to establish village-level markets.
This initiative aims to ensure farmers receive remunerative prices for their produce. The programme was jointly organised by Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University and the Department of Horticulture, with volunteers selected from Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies across six districts.
Addressing the gathering, Reddy described farmers as scientists at the grassroots level and urged them to take responsibility for expanding vegetable acreage. He assured that the government is ready to provide all necessary facilities to achieve self-sufficiency in production. Highlighting long-standing demands, Reddy suggested integrating agricultural activities with the Employment Guarantee Scheme and encouraged the adoption of low-cost, small-scale machinery to reduce cultivation expenses. He also called upon the university to focus on developing high-yielding vegetable varieties, noting that horticultural crops hold immense potential for boosting rural incomes.
Commending Farmer Producer Organisations for exporting produce abroad, he revealed that discussions are underway to establish horticulture-based processing industries. These facilities would reduce post-harvest losses and make cultivation more profitable for the farming community. Vice-Chancellor Danda Raji Reddy added that Telangana’s annual rainfall of 900 millimetres provides highly favourable conditions for vegetable growth. He stressed that Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies are poised to become key hubs for disseminating technical knowledge.
The event included a field visit where farmers received practical demonstrations of modern technologies. The programme was attended by Registrar Bhagavan, university officials including Lakshminarayana, Suresh Kumar, Prashanth, and Anita Kumari, alongside horticulture department scientists and additional director Raj Kumar. Certificates were distributed to all participants following a direct interactive session with the experts.
