Rajahmundry, Aug 25th: In an attempt to keep tab on raising prices of tur dal by increasing its production, the agriculture joint director, Mr. T. Nandaiah called upon the progressive farmers to raise tur dal in five acre land each. Taking part in training session to progressive farmers here on Tuesday, the joint director said that farmers would be given seeds at 75 per cent subsidiary by the government to raise tur dal. He asked the progressive farmers to persuade other farmers in their mandals to take up cultivation of tur dal on a large scale.

Mr. Nandaiah said that as many as 75,000 tenant farmers were identified with the help of progressive farmers in the district and advised the later, to make efforts to get loans from the banks as there were nearly 400 banks existing in the district. Earlier, several progressive farmers from various mandals in the district shared their experiences in taking up cultivation with other farmers. They even complained that some bankers were insisting on for survey numbers of the lands when the tenant farmers were approaching them for farm loans. Reacting on it, the agriculture joint director assured to look into the matter.