Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday vowed to double farmers’ income, making it a priority and promised to do whatever it takes to achieve it.
“We will do whatever it takes to make the lives of our farmers better and sustainable,” said Reddy.
Aiming at making agriculture sustainable, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to establish multi-purpose facilities offering 13 kinds of services at Rythu Bharosa Kendralu (RBKs, farmer assurance centres) across the state.
This move was for providing an infrastructural cushion for the state agricultural system.
Depending on the requirement of the cropping pattern, these integrated facilities will provide godowns, drying platforms, collection centres, cold storages, custom-hiring centres, primary processing centres and assaying equipment.
They will also include janata bazaars, bulk milk cooling units, aqua-infra projects in select villages, cattle sheds in select villages, procurement centres and e-marketing.
Representatives from multiple departments proposed setting up 5,531 godowns, cold storages and collection centres.
They also proposed 4,147 drying platforms, 4,736 threshers, 7,132 cleaners, 1,861 graders, 15,167 dryers, 654 dal mills, 100 turmeric boilers, 100 turmeric polishers, millet-processing units, 29 chilly dryers and 816 maize shelters.
“We have set up over 10,500 RBKs across the state. That is just the first step. In order to double the income of farmers, we need to ramp up infrastructure around RBKs thereby increasing domestic consumption as well as demand for quality produce across the globe,” Reddy added.
The Chief Minister said the idea of setting up godowns, cold storages, drying platforms and janata bazaars was a move in that direction.
