World Agri meet in Hyd from Nov 4

5,000 farmers from across the State to attend the event

The World Agricultural Forum Congress and the Agri-Tech Trade Fair will be organised in Hyderabad from November 4 to 7. This was announced by Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana on Saturday.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy wants this to be a prestigious international meet that will focus on the small and marginal farmers and the theme is ‘Reshaping Agriculture for a Sustainable Future: Focus on Small Farm-Holders.’ Late Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhar Reddy and the then Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy in 2007 had invited the World Agricultural Forum Congress to Hyderabad. Subsequently, with elections and other de

velopments, it could not materialise. Again, when Kiran Kumar Reddy assumed charge, he extended the invite and has been very keen to make it a prestigious event and a grand success.

Kanna Lakshminarayana said this meeting assumes great significance, considering the importance given by the Central Government and the Andhra Pradesh Government to the issues of farmers and prevailing conditions in rural areas. “There exist about 110 million farm holdings in India and 12.3 million farm holdings in Andhra Pradesh. Foreign and Indian delegates and leaders of farmers associations have been registered as delegates.

The Andhra Pradesh Government will host 5,000 farmers to attend the event and the Agri Tech Trade Fair, at its own expense,” he said.

Asked whether it is a matter of concern that land under cultivation is falling, he said the focus has to be turned on achieving higher productivity. He said the State government has been in the forefront of providing interest-free farm loans, subsidized seeds and other inputs, high minimum procurement price and the Government has also taken a decision to create godowns with capacity for six-and-a-half lakh metric tonnes.

Responding to the criticism that the Congress-led

UPA Government failed to implement M S Swaminathan Commission recommendations, Kanna Lakshminarayana pointed out that it was the Congressled UPA Government that had appointed M S Swaminathan Commission.