Collector K Bhaskar directed agriculture and horticulture officials to register criminal cases against suppliers of spurious seeds and fertilisers in the district. He reviewed the progress of priority sectors like agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and other departments at a meeting held in Collector meeting hall here on Wednesday. The Collector said that he had the information that some farmers incurred losses by using the spurious seeds and fertilisers that was supplied by some dealers in the district. He directed agriculture officials to take stringent action against those dealers who supplied the spurious seeds to the farmers and register criminal cases against them. The Collector directed the agriculture officials to keep ready the required seed for the third crop that was aimed to sow over an area of three lakh acres in the district. He stated that the farmers did not cultivate the third crop in the recent times. He suggested the officials to prepare farmers to cultivate the third crop in view of the water sources. He also asked them to prepare a plan to supply black gram in 2.40 lakh acres and green gram in 60,000 acres in the district. He hoped that the third crop will yield one lakh tonnes of pulses to farmers. He pointed out that the Chief Minister agreed to purchase the pulses for Minimum Support Price (MSP) from the farmers if they did not get the MSP. The Collector stated that the delta modernisation works will be taken up following the canal closure for 45 days in the delta area. However, the farmers up to Tadepalligudem did not have any problem in cultivating the third crop. He suggested to the irrigation officials to chalk out alternative methods to supply water to other area farmers. The Collector directed the officials to encourage the nature cultivation in the district and pointed out that 870 farmers in 1,100 acres have taken up the nature cultivation. He suggested to the farmers to take up cultivation with only organic fertilisers and said that the district administration has been keeping ready the vermicompost yards in a big way in the district. He directed fisheries officials to take up steps to inaugurate the aqua labs that are established in Eluru and Akiveedu. Additional Joint Collector MH Sheriff, Agriculture Joint Director Y Sai Laksheswari, Chief Planning Officer Balakrishna, Lead District Bank Manager Subrahmanyeswara Rao, NABARD AGM Rama Prabhu and others participated in the review meeting.
2016 Hyderabad Media House Limited/The Hans India.