The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Anantapur News : Policy on bio-diesel plantation soon: Minister

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Monday, Jul 19, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur

Policy on bio-diesel plantation soon: Minister

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, JULY 18. The Minister for Agriculture, N. Raghuveera Reddy, has suggested that the district Collectors use the Preventive Detention Act against traders who deal with spurious seed and fertilizer.

At a video-conference conducted from Hyderabad today, the Minister said the Government would not be a silent spectator to the traders' efforts to deceive the farmers. As the Seed Act lacked teeth to deal sternly with makers and sellers of spurious seed and fertiliser the Centre was planning to amend it, he said adding that the State Government too had plans for a legislation in this regard. The Minister added that a plan to take up bio-diesel plantation in 15 lakh acres in the next five years was on the anvil. The Government would come out with a policy on this in 10 days, he said. It has been proposed to take up jatropha and pongamia plantation in two lakh acres this year. A team of scientists would be sent to Orissa soon to procure quality jatropha seed. Each of the 10 rain-shadow districts would be supplied with seed for raising three crore jatropha seedlings in Government nurseries. The three-month old seedlings would be supplied to farmers at a price fixed by the Government. The district Collector, Y.V. Anuradha, said 3.49 lakh quintals of groundnut seed had been supplied to the farmers on subsidy. Those who had not got the seed could take it from the RDO offices from July 19, she said. Red gram seed also was being supplied at 16 places on subsidy.

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