TTD chairman assures organic farmers of the temple body in purchasing their products

TIRUPATI: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy assured the farmers, who are facing problems in marketing the organic products, that the temple management would purchase the entire organic crops raised by them.

The TTD chairman’s assurance came on Thursday during the training programme for Nodal Goshala operators and organic farmers held at the SVETA Bhavan in Tirupati when he went to visit several stalls set up in the premises by organic farmers.

During his interaction with Jalagam Shyam, an organic farmer from Podi of Thottambedu mandal, the farmer explained his travail in growing organic rice and vegetables and the problems he was facing to market them.

The TTD chairman assured the organic farmer that the TTD would purchase all organic products like jaggery, rice, pulses with minimum support prices. He directed the officials concerned on the spot to buy all products of Shyam and advised other farmers to follow him as an instance.

Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day training programme along with the TTD executive officer A.V. Dharma Reddy, the TTD chairman said that with a goal to make soil pesticide-free, the TTD will conduct training programmes in every district in the state soon in a big way to spread awareness among farmers on natural farming techniques using Desi Cow products.

He said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is focussing on motivating farmers to encourage organic farming by setting up an exclusive department, the first of its kind by any government in the country. “As part of the government's directive, the TTD has taken up Gosamrakshana programmes in a big way which includes Cow-based organic farming. The TTD is also purchasing organic products at MSP from the natural farmers which have been used in preparing Srivari Naivedyam since last May”, he added.