The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Research centre for turmeric planned

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Research centre for turmeric planned

Staff Reporter

Rs. 23-cr. centre in Nizamabad to have all required facilities for farmers

85 p.c. of country’s turmeric yield cultivated in State
Armoor turmeric known the world over for its quality

— Photo: K. V. RAMAMA

Weighed down: Finance Minister K. Rosaiah being felicitated at a meeting at Kammarpally in Nizamabad district on Saturday.

KAMMARPALLY (NIZAMABAD DT.): Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy has said the turmeric research centre to be built with an estimated expenditure of Rs. 23 crore at this mandal headquarter will be developed with all required facilities for farmers in the next two years. It will be developed as one of the premier research institutes in the world to promote quality and yield of the crop.

After laying foundation for the long awaited centre here on Saturday, he said of the total yield of turmeric crop in the country 85 per cent was cultivated in the State and 67 per cent came from Nizamabad district alone. Armoor turmeric has a very good name in respect of quality in the world, he noted.

Loans to ryots

The Minister said 63 lakh farmers were benefited due to total scrapping of the loans and another 38 lakh farmers were covered under Rs. 5,000 lumpsum payment to each one. “We extended loans to one crore farmers compared to 59 lakh given in the previous government. We are also providing irrigation water for an additional one crore acres,” he said.

Finance Minister K. Rosaiah said every family in the State was benefited through one scheme or the other. Listing out some of the schemes introduced by the Congress government led by Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, he said even the poor were provided an opportunity to get costly treatment in the corporate hospitals on a par with richer sections.

Stating that the government did not go back in spending any amount of money for the welfare of the people, he said Rs.1980 crore was allocated for bearing the subsidy expenditure for Rs. 2 kg rice. The number of pensions of Rs.200 per month for the elderly , widows, handicapped and others would be increased from the present 60 lakh to 80 lakh by March, said the Finance Minister.

New varieties

Presiding over the meeting, Assembly Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy hoped that the turmeric research centre would fetch profits for farmers by innovating new varieties and improving quality. To be accessible to farmers of Adilabad, Karimnagar and Nizamabad, the centre was being set up at this place, he said.

Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor Sikhamani, MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi, ZP Chairman Taher Bin Hamdan, the DCCB Chairman Yedla Raji Reddy Collector B. Ramanjaneyulu attended.

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