State accords top priority to agriculture, asserts Prathipati

Tadepalligudem: Agriculture Minister Prathipati Pulla Rao said that the State government is giving highest priority to agriculture and allied sectors and encouraging the poor farmers to get higher yields with lowest costs.

He participated as the chief guest at the Udyana Mela, a horticulture exhibition, held at Dr YSR Horticulture University at Venkataramannagudem village in Tadepalligudem rural mandal on Saturday.

Unguturu MLA Ganni Veeranjaneyulu presided over the Udyana Mela meeting. He inaugurated the "protected cultivation methods centre" in the university campus.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the Chief Minister has taken steps to set up a Centre for Excellence at a cost of Rs 13 crore to encourage farmers to grow vegetables and earn profits.

He said that steps have been taken up to create awareness among the model farmers to cultivate vegetables without depending on nurseries and by adopting new technology. He said the government gave its nod to private sector to set up agriculture, horticulture and veterinary colleges.

He said the government is considering enhancing the minimum support price for oil palm and also assured MSP to coconut and banana farmers.

The State government will promptly redress the problems of farmers and extend full support to the agriculture sector, he added. The Minister said that the Centre and State governments were creating awareness among the horticulture farmers to cultivate crops in an acre without much investment for three consecutive years.

Endowments Minister Pydikondala Manikyala Rao said that the government was taking all steps to support the farmers and already soil health cards have been distributed to the farmers in the State.

He said that the "Giri" variety cows which give the highest milk yield will be distributed to the farmers. Earlier, the Ministers released the pamphlets on the Special Protective Cultivation Method Centre on the occasion.

Government Whip Chintamaneni Prabhakar, MLA P Satyanarayana, University Vice-Chancellor BMC Reddy, Registrar B Srinivasulu, Research Director J Dileep Babu, Extension Director RVSK Reddy, Industrial and International Programmes Director MB Nageswara Rao, Dean of Horticulture M Lakshminarayana Reddy, Dean of PG Studies D Srihari and others participated in the meeting.