Minister KT Rama Rao emphasised the need for a food processing policy and a logistics policy to promote the food processing industries which will ensure financial empowerment of farmers and employment opportunities for youth in the State.
He said the group of ministers has examined these policies along with incentives being offered by other States as well as other countries, and have come up with proposals to offer subsidies and incentives to develop the food processing industry in the State.
he group of ministers meeting chaired by Minister KT Rama Rao was held to discuss the food processing and logistics policies apart from preparing necessary guidelines at Pragathi Bhavan. Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao said following the innovative measures taken by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, lakhs of acres in the State were freshly brought under cultivation under Krishna and Godavari Rivers. He pointed out that crops being cultivated in each village, mandal and district, were being mapped across the State for comprehensive information on agricultural operations. “With the construction of new irrigation projects and subsequently increased cultivation area, the production of crops especially paddy, cotton, maize, pulses and spices has increased significantly after the State formation,” he added.
The Minister stated that due to implementation of the sheep and fish distribution schemes, there has been a significant increase in number of sheep and production of fish. He said the State was experiencing water revolution and was in the process of witnessing another Green Revolution (agriculture), followed by the Blue Revolution (fisheries), the Pink Revolution (meat production) and the White Revolution (milk). “Though the State was witnessing an increase in crop production, we do not have the capacity to fully process them. There is an urgent need to promote food processing industry,” he said.
Minsters S Niranjan Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Koppula Eeshwar and Satyavathi Rathod, Telangana State Planning Board vice chairman B Vinod Kumar, Government Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretaries and senior officials, attended the meetin
