AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting of Agriculture and allied departments and directed the officials to provide drip and sprinkler facilities to all small and marginal farmers within the stipulated time.

During the review meeting held on Horticulture, Micro Irrigation and Agri Infra at camp office here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said as the government is drilling borewells for the small and marginal famers and providing micro irrigation facilities they will help to get good yields. He said all the works should be done in saturation mode and every eligible person should be benifitted from the schemes being implemented and there should be no scope for corruption. He said to prepare an action plan to benifit small and marginal farmers.

The Chief Minister suggested the officials to give priority to farmers with less than 10 acres of land in Rayalaseema and Prakasam and less than 5 acres in other places in providing drip and sprinkler facilities and directed the officials to brainstorm and prepare an action plan regarding the same. He said procurement of micro irrigation facilities through reverse tendering would help to reduce the cost benefitting more farmers. He said the cost of drip and sprinkler systems would be concluded after taking the subsides of Central Government and State Government into consideration.

Sericulture
The Chief Minister directed the officials to focus on solving the problems of farmers who are cultivating mulberry and improve their situation.

Review on Agri Infra
The Chief Minister reviewed on setting up of multi purpose facility centers as part of Agri Infra. Multi purpose facility centers with an estimated budget of Rs 14,562 crore, will provide 14 types of facilities to farmers including dry storage, drying platform, godowns, horticulture infrastructure, primary processing centers, collection centers, cold rooms for storage, custom hiring centers, primary processing centers, assaying equipment, Janata Bazaars, procurement centers and e-marketing etc. The Chief Minister directed the officials to promote organic and natural farming in the limits of every RBK and the equipment related to organic and natural farming should be kept in every custom hiring centre.

AP Agriculture Mission Vice Chairman MVS Nagi Reddy, Government Advisor (Agriculture) Ambati Krishna Reddy, Agriculture Special Chief Secretary Poonam Malakondaiah, Finance Secretary Gulzar, Marketing Commissioner P S Pradyumna, Fisheries Commissioner K Kannababu, Marketing Special Secretary Y Madhusudan Reddy, Horticulture Commissioner SS Sridhar and other officials were present.