Speed up drip irrigation schemes for farmers growing horticultural crops: Minister

Speed up drip irrigation schemes for farmers growing horticultural crops: Minister

HYDERABAD

Government will distribute drip irrigation systems worth ₹1 crore over the next three months to farmers raising horticultural crops, Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao has said.

Reviewing the progress of various schemes being implemented by the Agriculture, Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing departments here on Tuesday, he asked officials to speed up the implementation of farm mechanisation and drip irrigation schemes. He wanted the officials to reach the target of taking up oil palm plantation in one lakh acres by March-end next year.

He stated that the previous government was providing drip implements only to oil palm plantations, but the present government was extending the drip and sprinkler systems to all horticultural crops.

He also told the officials to ensure beneficiary farmers get quality equipment as part of the farm mechanisation scheme being implemented from this Yasangi season by availing funds available in the form of Central government schemes as the State government was ready to release the matching grants.

On the procurement of cotton this year, the Minister stated that over 8.59 lakh tonnes of the fibre crop were procured from nearly 3.57 lakh farmers at MSP. Only 1.99 lakh tonnes of cotton were procured by the same time last year, he noted.

Officials informed him that second and third picking of cotton was in progress and the produce from now on would be of very good quality. Mr. Nageswara Rao told them to ensure cotton procurement continued for the next two months without any hassles.