CM Proposes Agricultural Equipment Bank To Boost Farm Mechanisation
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He emphasized the need for a scientific cultivation system that suits people’s dietary habits and market demand. He called for the launch of a dedicated website with detailed information on modern agricultural equipment and machinery available to farmers.
Officials informed the Prime Minister that the government has set a target of procuring 50 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in 2025-26. For the current Kharif season, 18.32 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has already been procured through 2,606 purchasing centres. Payments of Rs 4,085 crore were released to farmers within 24 hours of purchase. The official said that purchases this year were 32 percent higher than last year.
Naidu instructed officials to focus on cultivation of quality rice varieties during the Rabi season. In addition, he stressed the need to encourage farmers to cultivate nations, such as ragi, jowar and bajra as alternatives to paddy and ensure their availability to consumers.
However, regarding cotton, the CM expressed strong displeasure over the functioning of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) in the state. He accused CCI officials of creating obstacles to farmers in purchasing cotton. He instructed CCI officials to immediately resolve slot allocation and technical issues related to cotton procurement through the Kapas Kisan App. He instructed the officials to write to the center highlighting these issues.
Naidu called for coordination with analytical and marketing agencies to provide better opportunities for products like pepper. He directed to hold a meeting with buyers of horticultural crops like bananas and lemons to strengthen farmers’ market linkages.
To prevent prices from falling, the Prime Minister asked officials to ensure that farmers receive minimum support price (MSP). He emphasized the importance of reducing transportation costs and connecting farm products to international markets.
