Major infrastructure push for farmers with new 10,000 tonne godown
Jayashankar Bhupalpally: Ministerfor Agriculture, Handlooms, Cooperatives, Jowli and Marketing, Tummala Nageswara Rao, on Saturday called upon farmers to adopt crops that offer higher returns with lower input costs, while stressing the government’s continued commitment to strengthening agricultural infrastructure and farmer welfare.
The minister laid the foundation stone for a 10,000-metric-tonne capacity market godown at old Vissipet village in Mogullapalli mandal, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 13.50 crore. He directed officials to expedite the construction and ensure that the facility is made available to farmers at the earliest.
Addressing the gathering, Tummala Nageswara Rao said nearly two million hectares in the state are suitable for palm oil cultivation, but the expected level of adoption has not been achieved in the district. He instructed officials to take proactive steps to expand palm oil cultivation and motivate farmers to take it up. The minister pointed out that palm oil enjoys a fixed support price, with government procurement at around Rs 20,000 per tonne, and noted that farmers can generate additional income by growing intercrops. He added that the government is providing a subsidy of Rs 51,000 per hectare per year for palm oil cultivation.
He warned that private companies involved in agriculture must meet their targets, failing which strict action would be taken. Despite financial constraints, the Minister said the state government has spent heavily on agriculture, including Rs 21,000 crore towards loan waivers, Rs 3,000 crore as bonuses for coarse grains, and Rs 16,000 crore for free electricity supply to farmers.
After the foundation ceremony, the minister distributed Stree Nidhi cheques, bank linkage documents and interest-free loan cheques to women’s self-help groups under the Rural Development Department.
Member of Parliament Dr Kadiyam Kavya said the godown would significantly benefit farmers and assured coordination with the central government for development works in Bhupalpalli constituency. Bhupalpalli MLA Gandra Satyanarayana Rao highlighted farmers’ long-standing issues related to storage and market prices, stating that the godown would address these concerns.
District Collector Rahul Sharma said the facility would improve storage and marketing options for farmers. The event was attended by several public representatives and senior officials.
