State Will Support Farmers, Ready To Tackle Drought, Says Revanth

 Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said his government was ready to tackle drought, given the prevailing conditions and monsoon failure, with reservoirs depleted and a water crisis looming due to rainfall deficit.

Speaking at the launch of the Rythu Nestham programme, which is aimed at solving farmers’ problems through videoconference at 2,601 Rythu Vedikas across the state, Revanth Reddy appealed to farmers of Karimnagar, Khammam, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar — who are demanding the release of water from reservoirs — to understand the current situation. He said the government was making necessary arrangements to solve the drinking water crisis in the ensuing summer, amid the water crisis.

Under Phase 1 of the Rythu Nestham, videoconference facilities were set up in 110 Assembly constituencies on a pilot basis. The agriculture department, which is helming the programme with a funding of `97 crore from the government, has roped in Prof. Jayashankar Agricultural University for help.

At the launch, MLAs and district collectors took part in the videoconference.

The programme will facilitate interactions between farmers and agricultural scientists, officials and experts to resolve field-level challenges, besides giving suggestions and imparting advanced farming techniques from time to time. Officials said the digital platform will also help farmers share their experiences with other farmers.

The Chief Minister said Rythu Nestham will help provide farmers with adequate information on farming activities in each season, with farmers allowed to interact with experts directly.

“The government launched the programme to reach out to farmers and understand their problems at the field level. More such programmes will be launched in collaboration with farmers in the future. The government will support farmers in procuring seeds and fertilisers, besides facilitating sale of harvested crops in the market,” Revanth Reddy said.

The Chief Minister said farmers should profit from their produce and the government was working out plans and schemes — like the Rythu Bharosa, crop loan waiver, regular seed supply, crop purchase through IKP centres and setting up of market yards — for their benefit.

He said that Telangana is blessed with suitable land and climate to cultivate 26 different types of crops, and farmers should not only cultivate paddy, cotton and chilli but also other high-yield and more profitable ones. He said crop rotation will help them reduce water usage and investment burden.

Revanth Reddy appealed to farmers to use the Rythu Nestham programme to bring their problems to the government’s attention. “The new programme is being implemented in 110 centres on a pilot basis and will then be extended to all villages in the future,” he said.

Revanth Reddy said that a crop insurance scheme is being implemented on the advice of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao. “Bereaved families will get Rythu Bima benefit. The crop insurance scheme will instil confidence among farmers to continue the farming activity,” he said.

“The scheme will help farmers get compensation, including the investment made, in case of crop damage due to drought or floods. The crop insurance scheme will rescue farmers from financial distress,” he said, appealing to farmers not to lose courage during tough times and assuring government support for the farming community.

Mallu Bhatti, Nageswara Rao, agriculture department secretary M. Raghunandan Rao, director B. Gopi, representatives of farmers’ unions Sunketa Anvesh Reddy, Nallamalla Venkateswara Rao and Y. Venkateswara Rao took part in the programme.

On the day, farmers from multiple districts interacted, shared their experiences and discussed ways to profit from agriculture.