Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today exhorted the farming community to go in for alternative crops as confining to mere sowing seed for cotton will result in losses.
At a high-level review meeting at camp office along with Agriculture Minister P Srinivas Reddy and officials, KCR said since agriculture crisis is looming large, the farmers cannot confine just to cotton sowing. There is a need for sowing seed for alternative crops as the farmers, who are investing a lot of money cannot reap in benefits finally, he said.
The Chief Minister asked Srinivas Reddy to press agriculture officials to attend Collectors Conference to be held at MCRHRD on April 29 to chalk out alternative plans for farming activities. “The officials should initiate measures that adverse effects of crisis should not fall on the farmers”, the CM said.
KCR also recalled that Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitaraman recently signed a World Trade Organisation (WTO) deal at Nairobi to cancel subsidies offered on export taxes for cotton at an international conference. As this may have bad effect on our farmers who should be looked into, the Chief Minister cautioned the officials. “This is the time for encouraging our farmers to opt for alternative crops rather than confining to cotton growing”, a CMO release said. (NSS)