Minister Calls For Revival of Sweet Lime Cultivation
The minister also inaugurated stalls set up by farmers and agri-tools companies at the venue
Nalgonda: Roads and buildings minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Saturday urged farmers to shift from paddy cultivation to horticultural crops to improve income.
Addressing a state-level seminar on citrus crops at Alimineti Madhava Reddy Auditorium in Nalgonda, he said the government was extending support to farmers through subsidies and investment assistance. Emphasising crop diversification, he said horticultural crops had higher market demand and would also help preserve soil fertility.
He said efforts would be made to develop Nalgonda district as a model for mosambi (sweet lime) cultivation through farmer cooperation and government support. He noted that Nalgonda, once known for sweet lime cultivation, had seen the area under the crop decline from four lakh acres to 40,000 acres over time, and called for steps to revive it.
“If necessary, another meeting would be convened in Hyderabad to deliberate on the future of the citrus sector addressing issues faced by farmers, exploring future opportunities, modern cultivation techniques, marketing and exports, and other related matters,” he said.
Telangana agriculture and farmers welfare commission chairman M. Kodanda Reddy said government initiatives in agriculture and horticulture aimed to improve farmers’ incomes. He said new sweet lime varieties suitable for processing and storage could benefit cultivators and advised adoption of modern practices.
Nalgonda mayor Burri Chaitanya Srinivas Reddy, Telangana state dairy development chairman Gutha Amit Reddy and D. Raji Reddy were among those present.
The minister also inaugurated stalls set up by farmers and agri-tools companies at the venue.
