Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has expressed concern over the rampant use of pesticides, chemical fertilisers and urea for cultivation of vegetables in the State as a result of which vegetables grown here are not being accepted by people of other States.

The State Government has asked the Central Government to rationalise the use of fertilisers and chemicals so that their consumption will not pose any adverse impact on health. The Minister, replying to a query during the Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday (September 10, 2026), lamented that vegetable cultivation in the State had come down significantly over the past few years.

As against the acreage of more than 3 lakh acres reported in the past, vegetables were being cultivated in around 50,000 acres as of now. “Farmers are looking at crops that give them profits,” he said.

Confining subsidies to select crops was another reason for the decline in vegetable cultivation. Besides, the State Government did not make use of schemes launched by the Central Government over the past 10 years resulting in the steep decline. The Congress government, however, launched implementation of several central schemes sharing expenditure in 60:40 ratio as part of efforts to improve quality and yield of agriculture and allied sectors.

“Steps have been taken to promote vegetable cultivation on a saturation mode. We are encouraging organic farming and motivating youth to take it up for better financial returns,” he said.