Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Sunday pressed the Union government to roll out stronger support measures for turmeric farmers in Telangana.
Speaking after the inauguration of the Turmeric Board office in Nizamabad, the Minister highlighted the need to stabilise turmeric prices so growers could get at least a minimum support price. He proposed direct procurement through agencies like MARKFED and NAFED.
Tummala requested central funding for drying platforms in turmeric-growing regions, and urged that polishing and grading machinery be provided to boost market returns.
He suggested setting up a National Turmeric Board under the Agriculture Ministry, along with a high-level committee to oversee turmeric sector programs. A baseline survey should be taken up to assess conditions in turmeric cultivation, with a five-year plan drawn accordingly, he added.
Separately, Tummala wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking the merger of four village panchayats currently in Andhra Pradesh back into Telangana. The panchayats — Bhadrachalam, Yatapaka, Kannaigudam, Pichukalapadu and Purushothapatnam — were shifted to Andhra Pradesh under the AP Reorganisation Act, and he asked for their reintegration with Telangana.