330 godowns to be built to increase the storage capacity of market yards: T Harish Rao

Marketing minister T Harish Rao urged the Agriculture Market Committee (AMC) chairmen and secretaries to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices for their produce.

“To ensure that farmers need not resort to distress selling of their agriculture produce when prices are low, government is taking steps to increase the storage capacity at all market yards. While there was storage capacity of just six lakh metric tonnes at godowns in market yards during the formation of Telangana, we have initiated steps to construct 330 godowns with an outlay of `1,024 crore to increase storage capacity to 17 lakh metric tonnes in the state,” said Harish Rao speaking at the workshop held for AMC chairmen and marketing department staff in Hyderabad on Sunday.

“Telangana government has brought ‘Raithu Bandhu’ scheme where farmers can store their produce at godowns at AMCs and get a loan to the extent of 75 per cent of



agri-produce’s value in case they do not get remunerative price at market. All AMC chairmen should publicise Raithu Bandhu scheme extensively and ensure that farmers know about its benefits,” further said Harish Rao. Saying that Telangana government is on the forefront of ensuring better prices to farmers when compared to other states, Harish Rao pointed out that while electronic-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) was launched in all 214 market yards all over India, 44 of them are in Telangana. “There is no use when farmers do not get remunerative price for their crop.

Therefore all AMC chairmen should take up the onus of creating awareness about farmers on how to get best price for their produce and take all government initiatives like e-NAM, Raithu Bandhu, crop insurance to farmers,” urged Harish Rao. He also announced that government is planning to set up a Raithu Bazar for all revenue division.