Free power to greenhouses: K Chandrasekhar Rao

Hyderabad: Free power will be provided to green house cultivation, which ensures controlled environment for cultivation of various crops, especially horticulture, in Telangana state.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who made the announcement, also said that soon a pilot project would be taken up on 1,000 acres for green house cultivation besides providing drip irrigation to all sections of farmers irrespective of caste and community, to give a fillip to vegetable cultivation.

“I was told by officials that power supplied for green house cultivation was on commercial tariff. We will come out with a new policy to provide free power for green house cultivation. Andhra leaders did not encourage green house cultivation in Telangana,” he alleged.

Taking a dig at the Opposition who were provoking farmers, he appealed to them to observe restraint reassuring them the government was trying to do its best to get additional power and promised to make the state power surplus in three years.

Mr Rao was speaking at a function after launching Mana Vooru, Mana Kuragayalu scheme to promote vegetable cultivation in Telangana at Professor Jayashankar Agricultural University,  Rajendranagar on the occasion of Prof. Jayashankar’s 81st birthday celebrations. He also unveiled a statue, and set a foundation stone for a new research institute costing nine crore.

Stating that the people of Telangana were deprived of nutritious food, he said while the demand for vegetables in Telangana was 110 lakh tonnes, the production was a meagre three to four lakh tonnes. A big chunk of vegetables come from outside, he added.

“We have to create horticulture hubs in 50 km radius of Hyderabad. I am a farmer and have 60 acres of land. I found that agriculture is being done in unscientific manner. We need to grow soil specific crops to ensure better returns,” he said.
Mr Rao undertakes large-scale green house cultivation in his farm near Gajwel.

Describing stoppage of seed production in the  agricultural university he asked seed companies to become partners with the government and far-mers in improving seed production in the state and make Telangana as  the seed hub of the world.“If the seed companies do not cooperate, we will set up our own seed corporation and take up seed production on a massive scale on par with international standards,” he added.

Hitting out at BJP leaders questioning the state of what it has done in 60 days, Mr Rao said though the government faced acute shortage of staff, it did its best. “I don’t want to join issue with Kishan Reddy but what has he done for the state? I wrote 20 letters to Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi seeking sanction of officers, but it was not done. Let him do it. We are still in policy formulation stage and not in a hurry. If we have done nothing in 60 days, we will not do it next 30 days too. We know our needs” he fumed.

There has been a lot of injustice done to Telangana on the power front in united Andhra Pradesh, he added.