Nara Lokesh: Chandrababu devising new policies to strengthen farmers

IT and Rural Development Minister Nara Lokesh attended the Food and Agri Investment Summit 2017 in Mumbai on Friday where he explained to the investors regarding the technology being utilized by Andhra Pradesh in developing agriculture sector.

Stating that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is formulating new policies to strengthen farmers, he said that farmers and the agriculture sector in the country are facing a huge crisis.

Continuing further, Nara Lokesh said that loan waiver is not a permanent solution for the farmers’ concerns hence a new policy is being developed to give credit rating to farmers.

Calling on the agri-tech startup companies and venture capitalists to invest in AP, the Minister elaborated that they could identify cotton crop would yield losses with the help of sensor technology and alert the farmers which would reduce 40% cultivation of that crop.

Mentioning that the state government is providing all the help required for the startup companies in regard to the infrastructure and other activities apart from offering quality seeds, fertilizers, and modern equipment, to the farmers, Nara Lokesh said that they are focusing on welcoming new inventions in agriculture in order to reduce the farmers’ investment.

Lokesh also informed that AP could yield growth in agriculture despite 28 percent less rainfall only with the help of good water management techniques.