Congress Govt. allocates Rs.72,659 crore to agriculture in budget: Bhatti
Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka here on Thursday proposed a major share of Rs.72,659 crore to agriculture and this decision would go down as a historical decision in the country as far as agriculture concerned.
Presenting the budget in the State Assembly here, he said 47.3 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. But the contribution of agricultural and allied Sectors to the State economy is only 15.08 per cent.
The increase in the share of this sector in the economy will lead to the economic strengthening of the farmer. With this aim in view, the State government will provide every possible type of assistance to the farmer. “In fact, we are taking a step which was never taken before. In this budget we are proposing a major share of Rs.72,659 crore to agriculture,” he said.
Telangana produces 53.06 LMT of horticultural produce through cultivation in 12.12 lakh acres. In order to encourage oil palm cultivation in the state, the government proposes to give assistance to oil palm farmers under “Oil Palm Areas Expansion under National Mission on Edible Oils- Oil Palm (NMEO-OP).
“We have set a target of planting one lakh acres in 2024-25. Registrations have already been made for 77,857 acres and permissions have been given for 23,131 acres. We are working towards issuing permission in this month only for plantation and drip for all the registrations done,” he said.
Quality seeds will provide a good farm output. Spurious seeds cause immense damage to the crop and to the farmer. The problem of spurious seeds was totally neglected during the last decade. “Our government is committed to control this problem and to ensure supply of quality seeds to the farmers. Our government will not spare anyone who indulges in production and supply of spurious seeds,” he explained.
Bhatti proposed Rs.737 crore for horticulture. Referring to animal husbandry, Bhatti said animal husbandry gives economic security to the rural folk. Further, milk, meat and eggs from this sector provide nutrition and also additional income to the rural families. Allied sectors like fisheries, sheep rearing and poultry provide employment to a considerable population. This sector plays a crucial role in the development of the rural economy. Small marginal farmers and landless poor constitute 62 per cent in the area of milk production.
They own 70 per cent of the livestock in the state. “Our State ranks 8th in the country with livestock of 326.39 lakhs. In this budget we have proposed Rs.1,980 crore for Animal Husbandry,” he added.