Amravati: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday directed officials to ensure remunerative prices to farmers emphasising healthy competition among them.
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief said that the government must intervene at times when the prices go down to support farmers through a price stabilization fund, and added that the Rythu Bharosa Kendra (RBK) programme has been successful so far and is being lauded across the country.
The Rythu Bharosa Kendras are stores providing good-quality seeds and fertilizers to farmers at affordable prices. The chief minister instructed the officials to ensure farmers receive the orders once placed in RBKs. He further said some “vested interests” are propagating false information on RBKs.
Concerned officials were of the view that the RBKs will act as sub-dealers from the next Rabi season and it would be more beneficial to farmers, said a release from Jagan Mohan Reddy’s office. Officials were also instructed to set up community hiring centers at locations where paddy is being cultivated.
Speaking at a review meeting on agriculture infrastructure, the YSRCP chief ordered officials to encourage farmers to cultivate alternative crops like millets instead of paddy under bore wells and asked them to provide incentives to farmers who cultivate alternate crops and added to set up processing plants at these locations.
Officials said they were setting up seed cum millet processing units at 33 places and that 20 units will be ready by this December. They told the AP chief minister a target has been set to complete 33 units by March 2022 and make them available for the next Kharif season.