Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation between southern states during the inaugural session of the conference of Agriculture Ministers of southern states in Hyderabad on Friday. Speaking at the regional conference, Chouhan stressed that 'The government of India will cooperate with the states with full strength. Land is with the state. Farmers are in state. Nation first. Centre and states should work together'. According to PTI, the regional conference was described as important for strengthening cooperation between the Centre and states, with Chouhan noting that the impact of El Niño weather pattern is more on the southern states, requiring coordinated response strategies. The conference included presentations and discussions on various agricultural issues, followed by interaction with farmers and stakeholders to seek their suggestions, with best practices from different states being presented to enable successful initiatives in one state to be adapted by others.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy sought the remaining 9.56 lakh houses for 11,56,915 eligible rural families identified by the state government. As reported by The Times of India, Reddy thanked Chouhan for sanctioning two lakh houses in the first phase recently and requested that the remaining houses be sanctioned in line with the state's demand. The present state government has taken the initiative and the first instalment from the Government of India for construction of 2 lakh houses has been handed over to the Chief Minister of Telangana, with construction now set to begin. Chouhan added that beneficiaries whose houses are still kutcha and who have been identified through the survey would also be covered in subsequent phases, with the Centre continuing to extend full support to Telangana across sectors. The meeting was attended by Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Tummala Nageswara Rao, Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju and senior officials.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy highlighted that dry conditions linked to El Niño had increased electricity demand for agriculture and could put pressure on drinking water and power supplies. According to The Times of India, he said the state government had drawn up advance plans to meet these challenges and sought central assistance. The Chief Minister informed Chouhan that farmers were being encouraged to take up alternative crops, crop diversification and crop rotation in response to changing weather conditions. Noting that the impact of the El Nino weather pattern is greater on the southern states, Chouhan said contingency plans have been prepared on the basis of districts, with the Centre emphasizing the cultivation of less water-intensive crops and supporting states in availability of seeds. As per PTI, Chouhan noted that the El Niño impact was different various districts within a state, requiring district-specific approaches to address agricultural challenges.
The Union Agriculture Minister stressed the need for greater efforts to ensure that every farmer has access to a Kisan Credit Card (KCC). As reported by PTI, Chouhan said KCCs can initially be issued to farmers who are beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, enabling them to access loans at affordable interest rates. He emphasized that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other agricultural institutes are ready to support states in preparing agriculture roadmaps tailored to individual states' agro-climatic conditions, with Chouhan stating 'We would like to work with you to prepare a roadmap on how agriculture should be as per agro-climatic conditions, so that farmers can have more income'. The roadmap includes increasing production and productivity, reducing cost of cultivation, ensuring remunerative price for farmers' produce, crop insurance, diversity in agriculture and work on soil health.
Telangana is providing fine rice to poor families through ration shops and offering a ₹500-per-quintal bonus to encourage farmers to grow fine varieties of paddy. According to The Times of India, the state is also setting up an international-standard fruits and vegetables market on 250 acres. The Chief Minister outlined the central government's objectives in agriculture as ensuring food security for the country's population, increasing farmers' income and nutrition security. Chouhan urged states to effectively implement existing laws until new legislation governing seeds and pesticides is introduced, while emphasizing that new legislation governing seeds and pesticide need to be enacted. He also announced that a new scheme would be implemented for coconut promotion, with India's coconut exports increased from ₹4,349 crore to ₹7,038 crore in one year, registering a growth of 62%. Chouhan called for a strategy to rejuvenate old coconut plantations, noting that coconut trees that are 60–70 years old often produce fewer coconuts and may not provide the desired quality, and urged states to prepare in advance for promotion schemes for cashew and cocoa so that farmers in these sectors can derive maximum benefit.
