FOCUS SHOULD BE ON IMPROVING AGRI PRODUCTIVITY: KTR

IT minister K.T. Rama Rao inaugurated the Agri Innovation Hub (AgHub) established at the Prof Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) here on Monday, along with agriculture minister S. Niranjan Reddy.

The AgHub focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship, research, rural innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem, a release said. The Innovation Hub on the university campus supports agritech start-ups through innovation-incubation-acceleration of the startups pan-India.

The rural innovation spokes in Jagtial, Warangal and Vikarabad districts would cater to the promotion of rural entrepreneurship for building agribusiness enterprises promoted by rural youth, women, farmers and farmer producer organisations, the release said.

Rama Rao said the focus should be on improving productivity and profitability of the agriculture sector as production has increased significantly in recent years. He asked university officials to keep the doors of the AgriHub open for all, especially farmers and rural innovators.

Rao stated that the Centre failed to double the income of farmers by 2020 as it had promised during 2014 elections. The TS government had achieved better results during the past seven years by providing free and uninterrupted power, interest-free crop loans, subsidised fertilisers and seeds and also farm input assistance of `10,000 per acre per year under the Rythu Bandhu scheme.