Ongole: Prakasam district collector A Thameem Ansariya said that agriculture can be made profitable through the utilization of technical knowledge and modern machinery, and advised the farmers to utilise the support from the government. The Agriculture Department has organised an equipment distribution programme for the farmers at the Prakasam Bhavan on Wednesday. The collector participated in the programme as the chief guest and distributed drones, sprayers, plain and power weeders, and weed removal equipment to eligible farmers at subsidised rates. During 2024-25, agricultural equipment worth Rs 6.05 crore was provided to 1257 farmers in the district, with the government sanctioning Rs 2.75 crore as a subsidy.

Speaking on the occasion, Ansariya said that agriculture has been given high priority in the Swarnandhra-2047 Vision Document plan. She informed that agriculture and its allied sectors have been identified as the main driving force for the district’s development and measures are being taken to achieve a growth rate target of 15 percent.

The Collector emphasised that farmers should observe new trends in agriculture and achieve better yields by utilising technical knowledge and machinery, thereby making cultivation profitable. She explained that the state government is providing subsidised machinery to individual farmers for their benefit. The collector said that the state government stands as a backbone to farmers by understanding their needs and ensuring an adequate supply of fertilizers and chemicals required for cultivation without any shortage.