Hyderabad, April 26 (RAHNUMA): Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao on Sunday announced that the department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, is organising a statewide programme titled “Scientists at the farmers’ doorstep” from April 27 to
May 23.
As part of this initiative, the university scientists, agriculture department officials and students have formed 200 teams to conduct direct meetings with farmers in 400 villages every week.
The programme’s aim is to raise awareness among approximately 2.45 lakh farmers regarding key topics such as reducing urea usage, utilising balanced fertilizers, crop rotation, cultivating rice varieties that are in high demand in the market, conserving irrigation water and practicing organic farming.
“With the objective of enhancing farmers’ incomes, the government is prioritising the cultivation of rice varieties that command high market demand. Following a series of consultations involving agriculture officials, scientists, civil supplies officials, and rice millers, eight high-yielding, fine-grain rice varieties—specifically suited to the state’s agro-climatic conditions—have been identified. These varieties are: BPT 5204, Telangana Sona (RNR 15048), KNM 1638, Jai Sriram, HMT, WGL 962, WGL 44, and TGC 1798,” Tummala Nageswara Rao said.
The Minister stated that cultivating these specific varieties would significantly increase the likelihood of the farmers securing remunerative prices in the market. He urged the farmers to cultivate these varieties by strictly adhering to the guidelines issued by the government.
The Minister issued directives to the officials to ensure that seeds for these varieties, which are ideally suited for the upcoming monsoon season, were made available in advance across all districts.
Similarly, Tummala Nageswara Rao stated that by adopting crop rotation and cultivating crops such as pulses, oilseeds, vegetables and oil palm, the farmers can not only meet the state’s requirements but also earn higher profits.
