Union Minister of State for Rural Development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar holding a review meeting at the Collectorate in Guntur on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: ARRANGEMENT
Union Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar on Saturday stressed the need for village-wise crop planning to ensure sustainable and profitable agriculture in Guntur district.Participating in 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 patterns and local conditions. He suggested developing at least one seed village in every mandal and organising gram sabhas to create awareness among farmers.Pointing out that the district has nearly 1.2 lakh farmers and 30,000 tenant farmers, Mr. Chandra Sekhar underscored the need for an effective communication system to reach cultivators. He directed the Agricultural University to launch a dedicated YouTube channel to provide continuous awareness programmes for farmers at the mandal level.The Minister also called for measures to discourage stubble burning and urged officials to establish agricultural mechanisation demonstration centres to educate farmers on modern farming techniques. He proposed organising three-day exhibitions in every Assembly constituency with participation from at least 10,000 farmers and farm equipment companies.Emphasising the need to reduce cultivation costs, he advocated crop diversification, bund cultivation and multi-cropping practices to enhance farmers’ income. He urged all stakeholders to work collectively to develop Guntur agriculture into a model for the State.MLC Alapati Rajendra Prasad stressed the importance of promoting market-driven crops and soil testing, while District Collector C. M. Sai Kanth Varma called for phased crop diversification and preparation of a crop calendar in coordination with various departments. Tadikonda MLA Tenali Sravan Kumar suggested continuous awareness programmes for farmers on the latest technology. Agricultural scientists highlighted the importance of climate-resilient farming, self-seed systems and the use of drones to reduce cultivation costs. Published - May 16, 2026 10:51 pm IST
