Andhra CM, Union Ministers launch door delivery facility of fertilisers to farmers

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy along with Union Ministers on Wednesday launched the door delivery of fertilisers to farmers, PoS (Point of sale) version, and SMS gateway from Rythu Bharosa Kendras.

Speaking on the occasion, Reddy said that the state government introduced Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) to assist farmers in every step from the purchase of seed to sale of their product, which acts as a one-stop destination to address all the needs of farmers across the state.

"We have set up about 10,641 RBKs near the Village and ward secretariats and appointed BSC Agriculture graduates as agriculture and horticulture assistants to address the farmers' issues. All the RBKs are equipped with required infrastructure, where farmers can book the seeds and farm needs through digital kiosks and the material will be delivered to them within 48 hours," he said.

As per the official release by the government, farmers can now order fertilisers from their villages and it will be delivered at their doorstep.

"The government has taken an initiative to set up a dedicated call centre (155251) to address the farmers' issues across the State, where nearly 46,500 calls have been received so far. Besides these, the farmers are also being trained through virtual platforms in advanced and effective methods of cultivation to maximize the harvest and increase the income," it added.

The Chief Minister further said that so far 6.9 lakh tonnes of seed have been distributed to 13.64 lakh farmers across the state despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Also, 49.14 lakh farmers along with the details of the harvesting crops in 1.12 crore acres were registered on the e-crop booking app," he said.

Explaining about the input subsidy, the Chief Minister said that the state government initiated the Rythu Bharosa scheme, where an input subsidy of Rs 13,500 is provided to the farmers in three spells.

"Rs 7500 during Kharif, Rs 4,000 in the Rabi season and Rs 2000 at a harvest time in January. In addition to cash transfer, farmers in the state are assured of services like 9 hours of free electricity, crop insurance, digging of free borewells, interest-free loans, help in purchasing farm inputs, and training and capacity building through RBKs," he said.

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers DV Sadananda Gowda and Minister for State Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya joined the Chief Minister through video conference from Delhi to launch the facilities.

( With inputs from ANI )