Mega Seed Mela 2019 to commence tomorrow

Rajendranagar: The Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) is organising a 'Mega Seed Mela-2019' at campus in Rajendranagar as well in three other places at Regional Agricultural Research Stations (RARS) in the state. The Mela will be inaugurated by the Telangana State Agricultural Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy on May 24.

Speaking on the occasion, VC PJTSAU Dr V Praveen Rao stated that the seed mela was organising since 2018 with the collaboration of all the ICAR institutes located in Hyderabad and Department of Agriculture, Telangana State Seed Development Corporation, National Seed Corporation (NSC), Veterinary and Horticulture departments. The universities would setup their stalls in the mela organised at the premises near PJTSAU Auditorium in Rajendranagar, he added.

Further, he said that this year about 24 stalls would be setup to showcase their new technologies and sale their seeds. The uniqueness of this Seed Mela-2019 is that everyone stalls dedicated to educating the farmers on newer technologies and also suggested them to purchase the seed based on their soil and climatic conditions, added the VC.

About 27 varieties of various crops like paddy seed varieties, Telangana Sona – RNR15048, and other varieties, Maize, Red gram, castor, green gram, black gram, sorghum, groundnut etc., varieties would be kept for sale in mela.

Dr Praveen Rao said that the subsidy pattern implemented government on the seeds shall also applicable to the seeds sales made in the mela. Further, he advised the farmers to claim the subsidy given by the government the copies of Pattadar passbook of the farmers has to be produced at the sale counters. Dr Rao has also suggested the farmers to visit the nearest RARS for seed.

The Mega Seed Mela-2019 is organising with the collaboration of Department of Agriculture and Department of Horticulture of Telangana State, Veterinary, Horticultural Universities, State Seed Development Corporation (TSSDC), National Seed Corporation Ltd., Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), IIOR, Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), Poultry Development Project (PDP), Central Research Institute for Dry Land Agriculture (CRIDA), ATARI, MEAT, NAARM.

The Regional Agricultural Research Stations (RARS) in Jagitial for Northern Telangana Zone (NTZ), Warangal for Central Telangana Zone (CTZ), Palem in Nagar Kurnool district for Southern Telangana Zone (STZ) are the other venues that would host the seed mela cum sale.