KCR to help farmers buy fertilisers

​Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday announced that the Telangana Government would provide financial assistance of Rs 4,000 per acre to the farmers to purchase fertilisers from next financial year.

Addressing farmers who had come to thank him for announcing loan waiver, the Chief Minister said that the State Government has decided to bring a qualitative change in the lives of farmers and hence from next financial year the money would be directly deposited into their bank accounts during last week of May.

The Chief Minister said there were about 55 lakh farmers in the State who use about 26 lakh tonnes of fertiliser. The government will give them Rs 4,000 per acre to each for the procurement of fertiliser.
However, they will have to bear the cost of pesticides, he added.

He asked Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy to see that farmers’ associations were constituted in all the villages. These associations should monitor all issues and programmes of farmers and agriculture, the Chief Minister said.

He also asked the minister to ensure that a proper survey of all the farmers was done and the records pertaining to their land holdings, crops they sow, bank account numbers etc., were computerised so that direct money transfer could take place.

The Chief Minister pointed out that TRS government had waived loans for an unprecedented 36 lakh farmers amounting to Rs 17,000 crore. Now farmers have become debt-free, he said and added that he wants to do more for the farming community.

The government is encouraging micro-irrigation by giving more subsidies and the decision to give Rs 4,000 per acre to the farmer for fertiliser was yet another progressive step, he said.

Among others who were present at the meeting were Nizamabad MP K Kavitha, Mission Bhagiratha vice-chairman Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Government Whips Gampa Govardhan, Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, MLAs Bajireddy Goverdhan, Enugu Ravinder Reddy, Jeevan Reddy and Shakeel.