‘Rytanna Mee Kosam’ is to empower farmers: Atchanna

Machilipatnam (Krishna district: The state government has given top priority to agriculture and allied sectors and is committed to supporting farmers at every stage, said agriculture minister K Atchannaidu. He said the government launched the weekly outreach programme ‘Ryatanna Mee Kosam’ to make every farmer a ‘scientist’ and ensure that agriculture becomes profitable and sustainable.

The minister formally launched the programme on Monday in Ghantasala of Avanigadda constituency in the Krishna district. He interacted directly with farmers, explained the goals of the initiative and distributed pamphlets explaining the five key principles of the programme to cluster farmers Pudi Yashodara, Donepudi Vijayalakshmi and Bandi Paratmara Rao.

Addressing farmers later at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Atchannaidu said that despite financial constraints, the government remained committed to safeguarding farmers’ interests, ensuring irrigation water to every acre, and improving extension services. Agriculture officials would visit every farmer’s home to explain the benefits, he added. Nearly 64 per cent of the population depends on agriculture and allied activities, making it the backbone of the state’s economy, he noted.

The minister said changing food habits were increasing demand for millets such as ragi, sajjalu, and samalu, and urged farmers to adopt demand-based cultivation. He stressed the need for mechanisation, the availability of farm tools at Rythu Seva Kendras, and the wider adoption of drone technology for pesticide spraying. Steps are underway to integrate technology-based pest management systems, he said.

Furthermore, he said the government is also promoting food processing industries suited for local crops. He added that several investors showed interest during the recent Visakhapatnam conference. He reaffirmed that the government would stand by farmers suffering losses due to natural calamities such as cyclones along the state’s 1,100 km coastline.

Atchannaidu pointed to the extensive financial support provided in the past 16 months, Rs 300 crore for tobacco farmers in Prakasam, Rs 300 crore for mango farmers in Chittoor, Rs 125 crore for onion farmers in Kurnool and Kadapa and Rs 15 crore for coconut farmers in West Godavari district.

He said crop procurement arrears of Rs 1,600 crore left by the previous government were cleared, and kharif paddy bills are now being paid within four hours of procurement. So far, 106 per cent crop registration has been completed. Under PM-Kisan Annadata Sukhibhava, Rs 3,200 crore was disbursed in two instalments to 68 lakh farmers.

Avanigadda MLA Mandali Buddha Prasad, APSRTC chairman Konakalla Narayana Rao, agriculture special chief secretary B Rajasekhar, director Manazir Jeelani Samoon and other officials took part.