On Thursday, the Chief Minister of Telangana State, KCR had said that he would provide financial assistance of Rs. 4000 for each acre to buy fertilizers from 2018-19 fiscal year. The CM said, “If a farmer has five acres, it costs him 20,000 to buy fertilizers, but the government will meet the expenditure.”
The Chief Minister also added, “There is every reason for the government to provide money to farmers to buy fertilizers. We will provide money until farmers themselves come to a point where they will say they will be able to meet 50 percent of the cost themselves.” This promise by the CM is expected to cost the Telangana Government Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 6,000 crores. But the CM said that the amount does not matter. He also said that we have waived Rs. 17,000 crores of farm loans that were given to 36 lakh farmers. The government must take care of the farmers and that means, according to the CM, meeting the cost of fertilizers too.
KCR said the initial amount will be deposited in the banks of farmers in May 2018. He also informed the farmers they should have gram sabha run by them and buy fertilizers without involving middlemen. This was announced at the meeting held with farmers, who came to thank the CM for waiving off the loans. The CM said that the farmers’ benefit is what the government is aiming for. He also said that the farmers will be provided a nine hour nonstop power supply in the State. The meeting also had P. Srinivas Reddy, the agricultural Minister and K. Kavitha, the MP of Nizamabad.
This decision to provide fertilizers is expected to benefit 55 lakh farmers in the Telangana State. It is estimated that the farmers will be able to buy 35 lakh tons of fertilizers with the amount received from the government through funds.
