Center to provide e-connectivity to agriculture markets

Will benefit farmers in getting fair prices

Centre will soon launch a new software to enable e-connectivity of agricultural markets across the country, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said here on Thursday.

The new software could break the connectivity barriers of agricultural markets and will benefit the farmers in getting fair prices, according to him.

Minister Radha Mohan Singh along with Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao laid the foundation stone for a Horticulture University at Mulugu in the neighboring Medak district.

Twelve states, including Telangana have sent proposals regarding the e-connectivity and the Centre will sanction Rs 30 lakh to each agriculture market for this purpose, the minister said.

The Horticultural University in Telangana was announced in the Union Budget of 2014-15.

About 10.86 lakh hectares or 36% of the total cultivated area in Telangana is under horticulture crops with an annual output of 112.56 lakh tonnes. The state government proposes to increase the horticulture crop area to 14.48 lakh hectares with an estimated production of 152.31 lakh tonnes by 2018-19.