Andhra Pradesh: Food processing policy to be announced soon

Amaravati: Minister for agriculture Kurasala Kannababu said the state government's agriculture policy would be announced soon.

Addressing the media at the Secretariat here on Thursday, the minister said that Rs 80 crore was immediately released to help the oil palm farmers in the state and the minimum support of price (MSP) of oil palm has been increased to Rs 11,000 per tonne from the earlier Rs 10,074. The MSP in Telangana was only Rs 10,903, he said. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote to the Central government urging it to announce the MSP of oil palm keeping in view the interests of the farmers, he added.

Kannababu said that the Chief minister had agreed in principle to announce the food processing policy and he had even made some suggestions in this regard.

"The food processing policy will help in providing employment opportunities to the rural people. The Chief Minister will also review the rabi paddy procurement and other crops on Friday," he said.

Admitting that there were problems in paddy procurement in Nellore, the minister said that efforts were on to solve them adding that tobacco would be purchased through Markfed.

A massive plan at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore would be implemented for the construction of godowns and other infrastructure for Rythu Bharosa Kendras, he said.

Kannababu also announced that the government was toying with the idea of introducing government aqua processing units in the state to benefit aqua farmers.