ANANTAPUR: Women farmers were carrying out agriculture effectively, with less investment and more sincerity than the men, collector, G. Veerapandian said. Women farmers are leading groundnut production at various levels, occupying 80 per cent of the extent in the district.
As part of the National Women Farmers Day, an NREGA programme was held at the office premises here on Monday. Women farmers, including widows whose husbands had committed suicide due to crop losses, participated. The widows were eking out their living by carrying on agriculture.
Speaking on the occasion, the collector said women played a key role in agriculture, from the initial stage to harvesting and also in marketing the produce.
“Women farmers are leading in major crops like groundnut, even during tough conditions such as rain deficit, drought and untimely heavy rainfall during peak stages in the district,” he briefed, and further added that the women should be made more aware of the utilisation of technical assistance.
He also assured them of improving marketing facilities.
In Kadapa, minister Adinarayana Reddy, said there were at least 1.60 lakh farmers in the district who were leading agriculture in 1.77 lakh hectares. Women farmers were leading in dairy development. “The government is encouraging women in the farming sector at all levels as Rs 19,000 crore of budgetary allocations were made towards agriculture in the state,” the minister said.
Kadapa collector Harikiran stated more than 60 per cent of farm labourers in the NREGA program were women.
