Priority to solar power for farmers: DC

District Collector Chadalavada Nagarani has instructed the relevant officials to ensure the provision of solar-powered electricity to beneficiaries in agriculture and allied sectors.
The Collector presided over a meeting with officials from the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), New Delhi, along with representatives from the horticulture, agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry departments on Thursday.
Addressing the gathering, the Collector emphasised the importance of integrating technology and solar power into agriculture and related fields. She highlighted that a pilot project aimed at providing low-cost and profitable employment opportunities for beneficiaries in these sectors should be implemented in the district. The Collector also urged officials to explore innovative solar-powered technologies for rice cultivation, dairy development, dry fish, and cocoa farming.
“To reduce the cost of fodder and increase milk production with a higher butter content, CEEW should introduce a system of cultivating animal feed from corn seeds, with growth cycles of five to six days,” the Collector noted. She added that this
method would significantly cut down feed costs for dairy farmers.
Furthermore, the Collector suggested identifying beneficiaries for the provision of solar-powered dryers for grains, solar refrigerators for fish products, and cold storage and solar polyhouse dryers for cocoa farmers, all on a subsidised basis. Earlier, CEEW representatives discussed the potential of solar power technology in agriculture and allied sectors.
The meeting was attended by District Joint Collector T Rahul Kumar Reddy, DRDA PD MSS Venugopal, District Agriculture Officer Z. Venkateswara Rao, Animal Husbandry Officer K Muralikrishna, Horticulture Officer R. Devanand Kumar, Fisheries Officer RVS Prasad, District Lead Bank Officer A. Nagendra Prasad, CEEW Programme Coordinator Preetham Yashaswi, and Scientist Manish.