Faulty Amulya paddy seeds cause heavy loss to farmers

Kakinada: Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu said on Thursday that the farmers cultivating Amulya paddy variety have incurred heavy losses due to poor quality of the seeds, but every farmer who is cultivating the seed would get a compensation.

He reviewed matters with the agriculture officials here on Thursday and noted that the seeds made by Mahendra Seeds at Warangal are being cultivated by the farmers at Kirlampudi, Samalkot, Peddapuram, Pithapuram, Gollaprolu, Prathipadu, Sankhavaram, and U.Kothapalli mandals in the district, over an extent of 6,000 acres.

He said agriculture officials and Marteru Agriculture Research Centre scientists and the company representatives visited the fields. As per the report given by the scientists, the company has come forward to compensate for the loss the farmers suffered.

Kannababu said that a five-year plan has been chalked out to develop coconut plantations at a cost of Rs 5 crore. He reviewed the coconut plantation and took stock of the diseases that afflicted the coconut gardens in Konaseema with Horticulture officials here. He said scientists should find out ways of eradicating diseases to coconut trees in Konaseema area.

He said that 17 industries related to food processing have been given permission to start production, out of 87 applications. Vegetables and red-chilli crops incurred heavy losses due to recent floods in the district.