CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directs officials to supply drip, sprinkler systems in time

Amaravati: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials to provide drip and sprinkler facilities to all small and marginal farmers within the stipulated time.

During the review on horticulture, micro irrigation and agriculture infrastructure at camp office here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said as the government is drilling borewells for the small and marginal famers and providing micro irrigation facilities they will help to get good yields. He said all the works should be done in saturation mode and every eligible person should be benefitted from the schemes being implemented and there should be no scope for corruption.

He asked them to prepare an action plan to benefit small and marginal farmers.

The Chief Minister suggested to the officials to give priority to farmers with less than 10 acre land in Rayalaseema and Prakasam and less than 5 acre in other places in providing drip and sprinkler facilities and directed the officials to brainstorm and prepare an action plan regarding the same.

He said procurement of micro irrigation facilities through reverse tendering would help reduce the cost benefitting more farmers.

The cost of drip and sprinkler systems would be decided after taking the subsides of Central and state government into consideration.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to focus on solving the problems of farmers who are cultivating mulberry and improve their situation.

Reviewing setting up of multi-purpose facility centres as part of agri Infrastructure, the Chief Minister said these centres to be set up at an estimated budget of Rs 14,562 crore will provide 14 types of facilities to farmers, including dry storage, drying platform, godowns, horticulture infrastructure, primary processing centres, collection centres, cold rooms for storage, custom hiring centres, primary processing centres, assaying equipment, Janata Bazaars, procurement centres and e-marketing. He directed the officials to promote organic and natural farming in the limits of every Rythu Bharosa Kendra and the equipment related to organic and natural farming should be kept in every custom hiring centre.

AP Agriculture Mission vice-chairman M V S Nagi Reddy, Government Advisor (Agriculture) Ambati Krishna Reddy, agriculture special chief secretary Poonam Malakondaiah, finance secretary Gulzar, marketing commissioner P S Pradyumna, fisheries commissioner K Kannababu, marketing special secretary Y Madhusudan Reddy, horticulture commissioner S S Sridhar and other officials were present.