Minister of State for Rural Development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar holding a review meeting at the Guntur Collectorate on Saturday. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar on Saturday emphasized the need for village crop planning to ensure sustainable and profitable agriculture in Guntur district.
Attending a review meeting on agriculture and allied sectors at the district collectorate, the minister directed officials to prepare practical crop plans at the mandal and village levels, taking into account suitable cropping practices and local conditions. He suggested developing at least one seed village in each mandal and organizing gram sabhas to create awareness among farmers.
Pointing out that the district has nearly 1.2 million farmers and 30,000 tenant farmers, Mr. Chandra Sekhar emphasized the need for an effective communication system to reach the cultivators. He directed the Agricultural University to launch a dedicated YouTube channel to provide ongoing awareness programs for farmers at mandal level.
The minister also called for measures to discourage stubble burning and urged officials to set up agricultural mechanization demonstration centers to educate farmers in modern farming techniques. He proposed to hold three-day exhibitions in each assembly constituency with the participation of at least 10,000 farmers and agricultural machinery companies.
Emphasizing the need to reduce the cost of cultivation, he advocated crop diversification, paddy cultivation and multi-cropping practices to increase farmers’ income. He urged all stakeholders to work together to develop Guntur agriculture as a model for the state.
MLC Alapati Rajendra Prasad emphasized the importance of promoting cash crops and soil testing while District Collector CM Sai Kanth Varma called for gradual diversification of crops and preparation of crop calendar in coordination with various departments. Tadikonda MLA Tenali Sravan Kumar proposed ongoing programs to inform farmers about the latest technology. Agricultural scientists have highlighted the importance of climate-resilient agriculture, self-seeding systems and the use of drones to reduce the cost of cultivation.
Published – 16 May 2026 22:51 IST
