Hyderabad: Telangana agriculture policies drew interest from Bihar as Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao met Bihar Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
Sinha paid a courtesy call on Tummala. The Ministers discussed agricultural cooperation, technology, productivity and crop diversification.
Tummala explained Telangana’s technology-based initiatives for farmers. These included weather alerts, crop booking and satellite-based crop monitoring.
He also outlined Rythu Nestham, which connects farmers through video conferencing. In addition, he explained the Urea Booking Application and farmer identification through AgriStack.
The AI-based Krishivas crop monitoring system also came up for discussion. It helps identify crop-related problems early and supports timely intervention.
According to Tummala, these initiatives help reduce input costs, improve productivity and increase farm profitability.
He also explained Telangana’s farmer welfare programmes. The government had spent around ₹1.50 lakh crore on farmers since assuming office, he said.
The Minister detailed Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima. He also highlighted the ₹500 bonus for fine-quality paddy.
The government had implemented a one-time farm loan waiver of up to ₹2 lakh. Under Rythu Bharosa, farmers receive ₹12,000 per acre annually.
Tummala said Telangana remained the leading paddy-producing State. He also stressed crop diversification, noting the expansion of maize, red gram, soybean, mango, red chilli, turmeric and oil palm.
Sinha explained Bihar’s agricultural policies, including crop diversification, crop clusters and technology use. He said 91 per cent of Bihar’s farmers were small and marginal farmers, while 77 per cent of the population depended on agriculture.
Telangana agriculture policies deepen oil palm and makhana cooperation
Bihar was developing specialised clusters for makhana, maize, fruits, vegetables and millets. The delegation said a makhana cluster was being developed in Darbhanga, Madhubani and Sitamarhi.
The delegation also said the Makhana Board had recently been established to promote production, research, value addition, marketing and international opportunities.
Over the past decade, makhana cultivation area, production and productivity had increased more than 2.5 times, the delegation said.
Tummala told Sinha that Telangana had emerged as a leading State in oil palm cultivation. During 2025-26, farmers cultivated oil palm across 3.11 lakh acres.
The crop produced 74,000 metric tonnes of crude palm oil. Its oil extraction ratio stood at 20.01 per cent.
Sinha sought details about Telangana’s oil palm incentives. He also enquired about nurseries, processing mills and micro-irrigation infrastructure.
The Bihar Minister expressed interest in Telangana’s oil palm experience. Meanwhile, Tummala sought details about Bihar’s makhana cultivation, processing, value addition and marketing.
Tummala invited a Bihar delegation of agriculture officials, representatives and farmers to Telangana. The delegation would visit oil palm plantations, nurseries and processing units.
Similarly, Telangana would send a delegation to Bihar to study makhana cultivation and related activities.
Tummala assured Bihar of technical support for oil palm cultivation. The assistance would cover planting material, cultivation practices, micro-irrigation, technology and processing.
Both Ministers agreed to exchange specialised knowledge and technology. They also discussed improving farm incomes, productivity, value addition and market opportunities.
The two States agreed to strengthen cooperation in agriculture and crop diversification.
Agriculture Department Secretary Surendra Mohan, Director Gopi, HACA Managing Director Chandrasekhar Reddy, Cooperative Commissioner Rahul Raj and Horticulture University Vice-Chancellor Rajireddy attended the meeting.
Bihar Agriculture Department Secretary Narmadeshwar Lal, Agriculture Department Director Mukesh Kumar Lal and Horticulture Director Abhishek Kumar also participated.