Revanth Releases Rythu Bharosa For 70L Farmers

"I firmly believe that neither agriculture where the ox weeps, nor a kingdom where the farmer weeps can ever truly prosper. We are releasing Rythu Bharosa funds today to see a delightful moment in the lives of the farming community in the state,” Revanth Reddy said.

“After discussions with finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, we are not only increasing Rythu Bharosa but also releasing the funds from Siddipet... Within 45 days, we will deposit a total of ₹9,000 crore in three tranches into the accounts of 70 lakh farmers,” the Chief Minister explained.

Asserting that the Congress government is a farmers’ government, Revanth Reddy said the government’s goal is to enable farmers to live a life of a king. However, he said farmers should cultivate different crops based on regions, moving away from an exclusive focus on growing paddy in view of procurement limits for the state’s staple cereal grains.

“Paddy alone is not the solution. Farmers believe it requires less effort, but the country already has surplus rice, and procurement has limits… We have procured 71 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. However, the Central government is not procuring more than 50 lakh metric tonnes. In this backdrop, we must formulate and implement necessary plans for crop diversification to ensure that the crops cultivated by our farmers become profitable ventures," he added.

Though Telangana is a small state, he said the state leads in paddy cultivation. “Farmers here cultivate sugarcane, soybean, maize, red sorghum, and turmeric,” he said.

In Khammam and Warangal, cotton and chilli are grown; in Nalgonda, paddy and pulses are cultivated; in Mahabubnagar, green gram, millets, and pulses are grown; in Vikarabad, red gram is cultivated; and in Rangareddy, grapes, vegetables, and coriander are grown, he explained.

“Oil palm cultivation has reached 3 lakh acres and can expand to 10 lakh acres, with assured procurement, making it profitable. Farmers cultivating oil palm should be supported for four years. If the Centre cooperates, the state will support farmers,” the Chief Minister said.

Revanth Reddy was speaking after inaugurating an oil palm factory at Narmetta in Siddipet Assembly Constituency on Sunday as part of the Praja Palana progress programme. Ministers Tummala Nageshwar Rao, Vivek Venkataswamy, Ponnam Prahakar, MP Raghunath Rao, and others were present on the occasion.

Referring to Kodangal as a backward region, Revanth Reddy said a factory like the one in Siddipet should also be established at Kodangal to benefit the farmers. “This is a highly profitable form of agriculture. Such industries help families prosper and support children’s education,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao served for 114 months and spent an average of `2,533 crore per month for farmers. In contrast, the Congress government has been spending an average of `5,500 crore per month on farmer welfare over the past 88 months.

In 88 months, Revanth Reddy said nearly ₹1.4 lakh crore has been spent solely on farmers.

“We are providing free electricity, minimum support price, bonus for fine paddy, loan waivers, Rythu Bharosa, and Rythu Bima schemes,” the Chief Minister explained.

"No matter how many problems arise in governance or finances, we will continue to provide all welfare schemes to farmers... We will ensure uninterrupted free electricity to farmers and purchase every grain of crops grown by farmers,” Revanth Reddy said.

Revanth Reddy also cautioned the farmers of a fertiliser shortage in the coming days because of the US-Iran war in West Asia, and he said he had ordered the authorities to convince the Centre to provide more fertilisers to the state.

"We must meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strive to secure the maximum possible allocation of urea for our state. " This is not the time for politics, but for moving forward with coordination and unity. We do politics only during the elections. Once the elections are over, the development of the state becomes the sole priority," he said.