Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy stressed the need for taking some concrete steps to prevent the losses being suffered by the farmers due to seasonal conditions.
Addressing the State Agriculture Ministers conference at Jubilee Hall here on Saturday, the Chief Minister said that steps should be taken by the respective governments to ensure that the farmers draw maximum benefits out of their profession. Due to adverse seasonal conditions, the farmers suffer heavy losses. Therefore, he said that the State Government has increased the funding on irrigation projects and has ensured that about 30 lakh acres of land was brought under cultivation in the next two years.
The Chief Minister also said that the government was planning to establish the Agriculture Centres in all villages across Andhra Pradesh. He also stressed the need for extensive research in the agriculture sector. He said that the farmers would enjoy the benefits if middlemen were weeded out of the system at all levels.
The Chief Minister also informed that elaborate arrangements would be made for the World Agriculture Conference to be held in the city during November next year.
Speaking on the occasion, World Agriculture Forum’s Advisory Board chairman and former Prime Minister of New Zealand James B Bolger said that since India’s economy depends on agriculture, it has become a role model for rest of the world with its innovative approach. He said that the small farmers should gain from the technological advances in the sector.
State Cabinet Ministers – Kanna Lakshminarayana, Dr J Geetha Reddy and Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Odisha Agriculture Minister Devi Prasad Mishra and Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Ramkrishan Kusmariya also spoke.
Kiran Kumar Reddy and Bolger also released a brochure of World Agriculture Forum Congress – 2013 and Agri-Tech Trade Fair to be held in Hyderabad from November 4-7 on the theme “Re-shaping Agriculture for a Sustainable Future: Focus on small farm holders”. The proposed conference, being held in Asia for the first time, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. (INN)