Telangana govt to host event to bring farmers, farm research bodies together

Telangana Government is planning to organise a conclave of the Hyderabad based Central and State scientific organisations working on agriculture research to have an outreach programme with the farming community, informed Agriculture secretary M. Raghunandan Rao on Thursday (June 12, 2025).

Addressing farmers and scientists at a one-day workshop on “Environmentally Benign Farming Practices for Farmers: Fermented Organic Manure from Anaerobic Digestion and Pheromones for Pest Control” organised by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) here, Mr. Rao said about 25 such organisations are researching diverse crops like rice, millets and also in meat, poultry, bio-manures, biogas etc., are working from the capital region.

The government wants farmers of the State to know about the four to five key products being offered by these organisations in the planned exhibition, where farmers can also interact with the scientists. Proposed to be held over a period of three days in two months time, it is to help farmers enhance their incomes and livelihoods by going for eco-friendly measures in agriculture and in livestock maintenance.

Action plan to disburse Rythu Bharosa ready

The annual financial assistance of ₹6,000 per acre (‘Rythu Bharosa’) will soon be released for all the farmers, and an action plan is ready for the same. The government has also decided to participate in centrally sponsored agriculture schemes for improving soil health, mechanisation, drip irrigation, digitisation, and promoting oil seeds production with a budget allocation of ₹1,600 crore after a gap of five years, said Mr. Rao.

CNG plant using paddy residue

Another interesting concept in the offing is the proposal to set up agri-based industries using biomass and others on lands belonging to the agriculture department with CNG plants likely to take off first using paddy residue. The secretary has urged farmers to avoid overuse of fertiliser as it would affect the soil health and not to burn paddy residue.

“Let us not follow Punjab and Haryana, where soil health has taken a beating due to the excess usage of fertilisers. Burning of paddy residue will lead to atmospheric pollution and other hazards. We will soon have a plant to make use of it,” he said.

Earlier, CSIR-IICT director D. Srinivas Reddy explained about the institute’s initiatives towards helping farmers and promoting green energy like the production of biogas using vegetable waste, bio-manure, and others. Senior scientists A Gangagni Rao and B.V. Subba Reddy participated. About 300 participants were later shown the pilot plants for organic farming, anaerobic gas lift reactor technology, accelerated anaerobic composting technology, and the pheromone application eco-friendly pest management that traps insects/pests.

Published - June 13, 2025 02:04 pm IST