Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has instructed the Agriculture Department to set up an Agriculture Equipment Bank to ensure farmers have affordable access to modern machinery and to significantly reduce cultivation costs. He reviewed the status of paddy, cotton and chilli procurement in a meeting at the Secretariat on Wednesday. He underlined the need for scientific farming, mechanisation and the use of drones to improve productivity.
Minister asked officials to list Agriculture Equipment Bank machinery online
Furthermore, he directed officials to develop a dedicated website listing the machinery available through the Agriculture Equipment Bank. He also called for awareness programmes to encourage farmers to adopt millets, including ragi, jowar and bajra, in line with evolving dietary habits and to promote diversified crop patterns. In addition, officials informed the Chief Minister that the government has targeted paddy procurement of 50 lakh metric tonnes for 2025–26. Of this, 18.32 lakh metric tonnes have already been purchased this kharif season through 2,606 paddy procurement centres. The total of 7.39 crore gunny bags have been supplied to farmers, and payments amounting to Rs 4,085 crore were made within 24 hours of procurement. Purchases have increased by 32 per cent compared to last year. Moreover, Minister Naidu directed officials to ensure smooth operations at paddy procurement centres and asked NDA workers to actively assist farmers.
Disappointment with Cotton Corporation of India
He expressed disappointment with the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), condemning delays and technical problems in slot allocation via the Kapas Kisan app. He directed officials to write to the Centre seeking an immediate solution and warned that CCI should not create hurdles for farmers. He stressed on the protect farmers from price fluctuations and focused on rationalising harvesting schedules for commercial crops. He also called for awareness drives to help farmers secure Minimum Support Prices and directed officials to reduce transportation costs while exploring international market linkages.
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