Need for more subsidies for fruits and vegetables’ cultivation: Chinnareddy

Hyderabad

Telangana farmers should achieve self-sufficiency in production of vegetables and milk, thereby meeting the State’s needs and increasing export opportunities, said Telangana Planning Board Vice Chairman G. Chinnareddy.

He was speaking at a seminar at the Telangana Horticulture University in Mulugu marking the 11th Foundation Day and also the National Farmers’ Day.

Mr. Chinna Reddy requested the central and state governments to provide adequate subsidies to increase the area under cultivation of fruits and vegetables in Telangana. He said that there is a need to establish a skill development centre at the university and attract youth towards horticulture.

Considering the unique characteristics of Kollapur mangoes and Balanagar custard apples, he suggested intensifying research on these crops to increase farmers’ income through exports. There is a need to implement horticulture-focused policies similar to those implemented by the Maharashtra government.

Vice-Chancellor of the Horticulture University Danda Rajireddy said that there is a need to increase vegetable cultivation in the state to over 12 lakh acres. He assured that new research projects will soon be launched on modern cutting-edge technologies, post-harvest technology, AI-ML, and remote sensing.

A special lecture was delivered by S.D. Shikhamani, former Vice-Chancellor of YSR Horticultural University on “Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Horticulture.”