The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Higher allocation for farm sector next year: Minister

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Saturday, Dec 15, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Higher allocation for farm sector next year: Minister

Staff Reporter

‘Focus on increasing productivity by extending help to farmers’

State negotiating with Centre on MSP, says Raghuveera
Minister hopeful of increase in farm output

Kakinada: Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy has said the State Government is negotiating with the Central Government on the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy and trying to mitigate the losses of farmers by giving more subsidy within its limitations. The government has decided to hike the allocation for the agriculture sector in the next financial year to Rs. 30,000 crores from the current figure of about Rs. 22,600 crores.

Speaking to the media after visiting the hill shrine of Annavaram in the district on Friday, Mr. Reddy claimed that Andhra Pradesh stood third among all States in the country in the development of the agriculture sector after the Congress came to power. It was previously ranked sixth.

Farm loans

Renewed focus was laid on increasing the production and alleviating the plight of farmers by extending more financial assistance to them.

The Congress Government reduced the rate of interest on farm loans from 14 per cent to 7 per cent and 12 to 5 per cent on cooperative loans to enable them to meet the rising costs.

At the same time, awareness was being spread about the latest techniques for achieving higher yield and the importance of organic farming which was cheaper and eco-friendly. Huge sums of outstanding loans payable by farmers were waived to extricate them from the financial crisis.

The Minister expressed confidence that there would be a substantial increase in production due to the copious rain received in the recent past and greater importance attached to the irrigation projects.

Necessary help was being extended to farmers to produce more of agricultural commodities. Agriculture Joint Director T. Nandaiah, Deputy Director I. Ramakrishna Murthy and others were present.

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