The Telangana government has initiated the construction of Rythu Vedikas to provide a platform for farmers to share information, learn about market trends, and grow remunerative crops.
2,601 Rythu Vedikas have been constructed, each costing Rs. 22 lakhs (Rs. 12 lakhs from the Agriculture Department and Rs. 10 lakhs from MGNREGA funds).
Telangana Rythu Bhandu Samithi (TRBS) committees, with 1,60,990 members, act as a link between farmers and agriculture departments at the village, Mandal, district, and state levels.
Multipurpose Cement Kallams:
The state government has initiated the construction of drying platforms (Kallams) to help farmers dry their agricultural produce.
49,170 Kallams have been started, and 19,309 have been completed.
Soil Testing:
Telangana has a diverse soil composition (48% red soil, 25% black soil, 20% alluvial soil, and 7% rock soil), making soil testing essential to determine proper fertilizer application.
The state has established four types of soil testing laboratories:
Regional Soil Testing Labs: For macro and micro-nutrient & water analysis.
District Soil Testing Labs: For macro and micro-nutrient & water analysis.
Mobile Labs: For macro-nutrient analysis.
Agriculture Market Committee Labs: For macro-nutrient testing.
44 soil testing labs have been set up in collaboration with the Government of India.
Mana Telangana – Mana Vyavasayam (MT-MV):
Launched before the Kharif season in 2015, this scheme provides holistic training to farmers by involving officers from agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, and sericulture departments.
The initiative focuses on creating awareness among farmers about best practices.
Training and Visiting (T&V) Monthly Programs:
Monthly workshops are held at the research stations of Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU), where officers and scientists discuss current crop conditions and propose measures to overcome challenges.
Farmers and Farm Women Trainings:
Farmer training centers across districts conduct training on various subjects such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), organic farming, post-harvest technologies, and drip irrigation.
Integrated Farming and Crop Diversification:
Training programs are conducted to help farmers diversify their crops and engage in allied activities such as dairy farming, poultry, floriculture, sericulture, fish farming, and beekeeping.
Development of Crop Colonies:
Farmers receive training on the development of crop colonies, focusing on improving cultivation practices for maximum production.
Rythu Samanvay Samithi (RSS):
The RSS committees at village, Mandal, district, and state levels play an active role in making agriculture profitable through activities such as procurement, storage, processing, and marketing of crops. They also ensure the timely supply of quality seeds and fertilizers and promote crop colonies.
SMS Advisories and Kisan Call Centers:
The mKisan platform is used to send SMS alerts to registered farmers about crop insurance deadlines, pest advisories, and more.
Kisan Call Centers have been set up where trained tele-advisors answer farmers’ queries.
Weather Advisory Services:
The Telangana State Development Planning (TSDP) department, founded in 2014, produces and disseminates real-time weather data for agriculture activities, drought monitoring, insurance facilitation, and disaster management.
1,044 automatic weather stations have been installed to provide hourly data, which is shared via LED boards, mobile apps, and websites. This data also aids in creating 3-day weather forecasts for farmers.
