Anantapur: Govt ready to procure millets cultivated locally

Jallipalli (Anantapur): ‘The State government is ready to procure any quantum of Ragi produced locally. If sufficient quantity of Ragi is not available from the district, the government has to procure from Karnataka to meet the demand from Public Distribution System,’ stated Agriculture Joint Director Umamaheshwaramma.

Participating in Korra Field Day for Dryland Farmers, organised by Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre (AFEC) at Jallipalli in the 8-acre Foxtail Millet (Korra) plot of a farmer Ramanujamma, Joint Director Umamaheswaramma said that dryland farmers, depending on scanty rainfall across the district, should opt for Ragi and Jowar cultivation as these crops will come under minimum support price and would fetch good price.

The DAO expressed happiness for the support provided by AF Ecology Centre to Ramanujamma in giving protective irrigation in August 2023, when there was a 45-day dry spell. “On August 30, I visited this plot along with district Collector M Gauthami and through mutual cooperation, the farmer was supplied with irrigation water through sprinkler provided by a neighbouring farmer’s borewell,” she informed.

Sharing her experiences with farmers, Ramanujamma said that she had invested Rs 21,000 (for 8 acres) and expecting Rs 80,000 after reaping crop. She expects to get 40 bags of Korra and already fetched good amount from vegetables and other intercrops from July this year till date.

Agriculture Research Station, Rekulakunta Millets Principal Scientist CV Chandramohan Reddy, who had developed ‘Suryanandi’ variety of Korra seeds in Nandyal, said this Foxtail Millet variety had the capability to give 4 quintals to 15 quintals per acre depending on the soil condition and fertility.

AF Ecology Centre Chief Operating Officer J Muralikrishna told the farmers that the NGO had provided millet seeds to farmers, who are part of 900 self-help women’s Sasya Mitra Groups in eight mandals of Anantapur district.

Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator Amara Rudraiah and Agriculture Specialist N Veerabhadra Reddy said that for Rabi season AF Ecology Centre had distributed millet seeds to farmers to sow as inter-crop in about 3,500 acres.

Anantapur-based Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre representative Susarla Ramesh said that the Mobile Protective Irrigation introduced by it saved standing crops in 5,149 acres in the district in the face of long dry spells and an impending drought, by saving groundnut, red gram, castor, millets and other crops in the fields of farmers in eight mandals, where it is working with 18,000 farmers. The eight mandals are, Dharmavaram, Rapthadu, Atmakur, Kudair, Kalyandurg, Belguppa, Settur and Kundurpi.

Alternative Livelihood Project Coordinator H Rizwana and RDT Ecology Director Nageswara Reddy said every farmer must grow all kinds of crops on at least one acre of land for their family even if they went with a monocrop.