Interactive meeting between Hon’ble Agriculture Minister, Telangana State and Scientists of IRRI at University Auditorium, PJTSAU on 27-08-2019

The Government of Telangana is striving hard to increase the income of the farmers by adopting best agricultural practices and utilise best technologies available across the globe said the Agriculture Minister, Telangana State Sri. S. Niranjan Reddy on 27-08-2019 at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University(PJTSAU) campus. The PJTSAU has organised the Interaction meeting with Hon’ble Agriculture Minister, TS and the team of Scientists of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philliphines on project proposal at the Robing hall in University Auditorium, Rajendranagar. While addressing the meeting S. Niranjan Reddy has stressed the need to implement the water saving, and time saving technologies in the Rice crop are very much required for the Telangana State he said. He further said that, the government of India has set the goal to double the farmers income by 2022, to achieve this goal states also should have its own strategies for improve the farmers income he added. The Government of Telangana under the leadership of Chief Minister Sri K Chandrashekar Rao, has spending more than 20 thousand crores to the agriculture sector for ensuring farming is profitable in the state and also implementing several programs for welfare of the farming community. He expressed the confidant that the project proposal will definitely agreed by the chief minister for extending new technologies to the farmers.

Earlier, the Deputy Director General, Research, IRRI Dr. Jacquelin Hughes gave the power point presentation on “Improving Farmers Income and Nutrition security in Rice – Based Agri – food system in Telangana”. According to DDG IRRI, the proposed project would ensure the doubling of farmer’s income, sustainable water management in agriculture, developing of stress tolerant rice varieties for sustainable farming and developing of low glycemic index varieties etc. Further she said that, the project will also provide mechanisation and post harvest business models, capacity development and knowledge exchange to the scholars, staff, and farmers. By implementing this project there will be increase in income, also increased rice yield, additional yield in pulses and other crops may achieved.

The main objective of the proposed project is to provide the world class infra structure, capacity development of the staff and develop the strategies required for the state said the VC, PJTSAU, Dr. V. Praveen Rao. It also provides the international exposure to the scientists of the university he added. Director, IRRI Varanasi Center Dr Aravind Kumar, several IRRI scientists, Director of Research Dr. R Jagadeeshwar, several scientists from PJTSAU, university officers were attended the interaction meeting.