Niranjan Reddy meets Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture Secretary

Hyderabad: State Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy has said that the government has submitted a report on three issues to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Agriculture Secretary on Tuesday.

Addressing the media, after meeting the Union minister, Reddy said the State sought from the Centre a solution to the black thrips insect pest infecting chilli and horticulture crops. He said earlier the Centre had sent a team of scientists on the government's report on the infection of black thrips.

It was found that the pest infection by black thrips was found for the first time in the country. Similarly, there are no remedies are available in markets to contain the pest. He said that the country was the third-largest cultivator of chilli; highest cultivation of chilli is in Telangana.

Reddy said the black thrips infection, along with others, caused a huge loss to farmers in Warangal, Mahabubabad, Hanamkonda, and Bhoopalpalli, Khammam-Bhadradri and Kothagudem districts.

The minister said finding a remedy to the issue is within the purview of the Centre; the State government has asked it to expedite the process, to which, the Union minister agreed, he said.

He said that Tomar assured to look into the State government's proposal to establish a regional centre for oil palm research. The Union minister was told that the government identified 150 acres for the centre. Similarly, Tomar assured to relax conditions on subsidy of drip irrigation to palm oil farmers.