Hyderabad: Bihar Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha paid a courtesy call on Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
The two ministers held extensive discussions on mutual cooperation between Bihar and Telangana in the agriculture sector, exchange of technological knowledge, study of best practices and crop diversification.
Rao explained to the Bihar Agriculture Minister the technology-driven initiatives being implemented by the Telangana government and the welfare programmes undertaken for farmers.
He elaborated on digital initiatives such as dissemination of weather alerts to farmers, connecting farmers through video conferencing under Rythu Nestham, crop booking, satellite-based crop monitoring, the Urea Booking Application and farmer identification through AgriStack.
He also explained how the AI-based ‘Krishivas’ crop monitoring system helps identify crop-related problems at an early stage, enabling timely intervention in affected areas. These measures help reduce farmers’ input costs, improve productivity and enhance profitability, the Minister said.
Rao stated that the government accords the highest priority to farmer welfare. He explained to the Bihar Minister the implementation of Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and the Rs.500 bonus for fine-quality paddy. He said the government had spent around Rs.1.50 lakh crore for farmers since assuming office.
He also stated that the government had implemented a one-time farm loan waiver of up to Rs.2 lakh and was providing Rs.12,000 per acre annually under the Rythu Bharosa scheme.
A Rs.500 bonus is being provided for fine-quality paddy, he said, adding that Telangana is the leading paddy-producing state in the country. Rao also explained the importance being accorded to crop diversification in Telangana. Apart from paddy and cotton, cultivation of maize, red gram, soybean, mango, red chilli, turmeric and oil palm is expanding in the state.
He said Telangana is at the forefront of oil palm cultivation in the country. During 2025-26, oil palm was cultivated across 3.11 lakh acres, producing 74,000 metric tonnes of crude palm oil with an oil extraction ratio of 20.01 per cent. The Bihar Minister sought details about the incentives being provided by the Telangana government for oil palm cultivation, as well as nurseries, processing mills and micro-irrigation infrastructure.
Sinha explained the agricultural policies being implemented in Bihar, including crop diversification, crop cluster development and the use of technology. He said 91 per cent of farmers in Bihar are small and marginal farmers and that 77 per cent of the population depends on agriculture.
He explained that Bihar is developing specialised crop clusters based on agricultural production, particularly for makhana, maize, fruits and vegetables, and millets.
Both ministers expressed the view that sharing the specialised experience, technology and crop diversification practices of the two states would help increase farmers’ incomes, improve productivity, promote value addition and expand market opportunities. They agreed to further strengthen agricultural cooperation between Telangana and Bihar.
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