State spending 60,000 cr annually on agriculture: Agriculture Minister Singireddy Nirajna Reddy

Wanaparthy: Stressing that the State government was giving highest priority to the agriculture and its allied sectors, Agriculture Minister Singireddy Nirajna Reddy said that annually the State government was spending more than Rs 60,000 crores on the agriculture sector in the State.

After inaugurating the newly-constructed Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society building in Gopalpet mandal of Wanaparthy district on Friday, the Agriculture Minister said that the government had sanctioned Rs 24 lakh for the construction of the Agriculture Cooperative Society building which has been constructed in a record time.

The Minister added that the State government has been speeding Rs 12,000 crore on Rythu Bandhu and another Rs 1,300 crore on Rythu Bima annually for the welfare of Telangana farmers. "As many as 51 lakh farmers in the State have been benefiting from Rythu Bandhu and Raitu Bima schemes. This season alone, we have deposited Rs 5000 per acre input subsidy into the accounts of 43 lakh farmers during Kharif and very soon, the remaining farmers will also receive the benefits," said the Agriculture Minister.

While informing further, the Agriculture Minister said that the State government was spending more than Rs 8,000 crore on the crop loan waiver scheme, while another Rs 1,000 crore was being spent for distributing subsidised seeds to farmers through Markfed.

The Minister added the government has paid Rs 5,000 crore alone for the electricity bills for the motors used for lifting water from various irrigational canals to reservoirs in the State. Overall a sum of Rs. 60,000 crore was being spent on the agriculture sector in the State, observed the Minister.

Expressing happiness over 1.11 crore acres of land coming under cultivation this Kharif season, Singireddy said compared to previous years, this year the extent of cultivation has been increased in the State to many lakh acres. Because of which, the demand for Urea has increased. In the last one month, the government had distributed more than 9 lakh metric tonnes of urea to the farmers, he said.