TS urges Dattatraya to set up soil test labs in State

Hyderabad, April.8: Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and Panchayat Raj Minister Jupally Krtishna Rao today urged the Centre to provide financial assistance through Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for procuring chilli and also to set up soil testing labs and cold storages in Telangana.

            The ministers submitted proposals to Bandaru Dattatreya in this regard and sought his help to set up 1,400 more soil testing laboratories, financial support to construct 10 cold storages besides seeking subsidy for 3,000 acres to set poly houses in the State. Dattatreya agreed to make efforts for release of funds through MIS to procure chilli in the State for a minimum support price of Rs 7,000 a quintal as it was sought by the ministers.

The TS  ministers also discussed about various pending Central projects and sought his help for speedy disposal of funds and permissions. Srinivas Reddy said the State will go in for procuring chilli @ Rs 7,000 per quintal from the farmers if the Centre offers MIS funds. They also appealed to the Centre to give permissions to Telangana to extend polyhouse farming in another 3,000 acres in addition to the existing 1,000 acres. The ministers brought to the notice of Dattatraya that since  the Centre was not offering minimum support price, the farmers were cultivating commercial crops like chilli, turmeric and others and suffering huge losses.

 Dattatreya assured to take up the issue with the Centre to extend financial assistance for purchase chilli @ Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000 per quintal while it was just Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 in the market. As the chilli yield was more than expected, the market sees decline in the prices in the open market causing concern to the farmers. Seeking a proposal from the State government for financial assistance, the Union minister suggested it to purchase chilli offering better price. Being a commercial crop, chilli could not get minimum support price, he said, adding that the Centre had recently offered Rs 1,029 crore for purchase of red gram from farmers in the State