GUNTUR: Agriculture Minister K Kanna Babu said that the Integrated Agri Extension Project of AP Horticulture Department and ITC Agri-Business Division under the Private Public Partnership (PPP) mode, will help farmers cultivating chilli in terms of production, quality, sustainability and price.
The project is going to benefit chilli production in 1,00,000 acres, he said.
He also said that it was launched as a pilot project in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Kurnool districts, covering 10,000 acres in 41 villages. He asked the chilli growers to make good use of the project to get good quality production and further best price for their produce.
Kanna Babu inaugurated the ITC digital extension centre and oversaw the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Horticulture Department and ITC.
He said that with an objective to improving the quality of chilli production in the State and helping it in meeting the global standards, ITC and the Horticulture Department had conceptualised the Integrated Agri Extension Platform - Chilli Farm Value Chain Development under the PPP model.
He said that 70 per cent of chilli output was produced in Guntur district and a call centre had been established where farmers could get information over a call.
He said that farmers could get inputs on best practices, recommendation on use of pest and controlling plant diseases and measures to improve their productivity and quality and asked the chilli growers to make good use of the same.
Kanna Babu said that agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and sericulture assistants were appointed in the recently started Village Secretariats to serve the farmers.
The State government has decided to promote horticulture crops in one lakh acres, in addition to the targeted area.
Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjeevi Chowdary said that chilli growers would get good price with the innovative practices in cultivation of the crop with the help of this project. Sanjiv Rangrass, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC Agri Business Division, said that the project would focus on value chain development, which would improve farm productivity, meet global quality standards, manage the rising production costs, increase net income and address agricultural sustainability issues in an efficient manner.
He asked the farmers to become “our champion farmers” to spread the knowledge, which they would get through this project and contribute to building a strong, vibrant and sustainable future for the country.
Guntur East MLA Md Mustafa, Ponnur MLA K Venkata Rosaiah, horticulture officials and chilli growers participated in the programme.