Telangana Minister Niranjan Reddy Garu Flags-off 10 Mobile Vans Raising Agri-Input Awareness for Higher Yields, Farmer Income

The Minister of Agriculture and Co-operation of Telangana, Singireddy Niranjan Reddy Garu today flagged off 10 mobile vans as part of ACFI’s ambitious mass campaign ‘Jago Kisan Jago’ to raise awareness among farmers about the role of quality Agri-inputs (Agrochemicals) for Increasing Quality Yield and Income of Farmers and the significance of obtaining proper bills to ensure the purchase of quality Agri-inputs.

Equipped with state-of-the-art audio technology, these mobile vans will disseminate crucial information about the use of quality pesticides to farmers.

Furthermore, they will educate farmers about modern agricultural technologies, and emphasize the significance of purchasing Agri-inputs with proper bills.

The launch of these mobile vans in Telangana is part of the Agro Chem Federation of India's (ACFI) nationwide campaign, which has been done earlier in the states of Haryana and Maharashtra.

Speaking at the occasion, Niranjan Reddy Garu highlighted the remarkable progress made by Telangana across various sectors, particularly agriculture, since its formation. The expansion of irrigation facilities and renewal of irrigation tanks has led to a significant increase in acreages dedicated to cotton and paddy, resulting in improved farm productivity and enhanced prosperity for farmers.

"In addition to prioritizing irrigation, the Telangana government has implemented proactive measures to ensure the availability of high-quality agricultural inputs for the farming community. Farmers now have easy access to superior seeds, fertilizers, and agrochemicals, which reflects the state's commitment to supporting agriculture,” said Niranjan Reddy.

M Raghunandan Rao, IAS, APC & Secretary to Govt (Agri & Coop. Dept.) Govt of Telangana said the introduction of the Online License Management System (OLMS) by the Agricultural Department further revolutionizes the inputs sector by streamlining the issuance and renewal of selling permissions.

He further said Telangana is rapidly emerging as the 'rice bowl' of India, with an extensive acreage of 50 lakh acres dedicated to Kharif crops and 34 lakh acres for the Rabi season.

"To address the challenges faced in rice milling, the government is proactively establishing modern, high-capacity rice mills to eliminate delays and ensure efficient processing," added Raghunandan Rao.

R G Agarwal, Chairman, Advisory Committee, ACFI, and Chairman Dhanuka Group, expressed that the deployment of these mobile audio vans in Telangana represents a significant stride in providing farmers with essential training on the proper use of pesticides and purchase with proper bills.

"These vans will educate farmers on the procurement of high-quality pesticides, emphasizing the importance of obtaining products with bills that provide detailed information such as batch numbers, expiry dates, etc," he said. These vehicles will travel on fixed routes and will work with Telangana Government, Agri-officials at Rythu Vedikas.

Most of the good companies have started putting QR codes on the products which can be scanned from the smartphone and can confirm the authenticity of the products.

Sanjay Aggarwal, Member Governing Council, ACFI highlighted the organization's objective with this campaign, which is to make quality pesticides available to help the farmers improve their yields.

Dr Kalyan Goswami, Director General, ACFI, explained that the campaign also aims to integrate pest management techniques into crop management practices, educate farmers on the proper disposal of empty containers, and emphasize accurate timing and methodologies for the application of agrochemicals.