ASR Farmers Urged to Grow Alternative Crops Instead of Ganja
This initiative is part of the mandatory capacity-building programme under the pilot project on crop diversification, funded by the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare through the AICRP on integrated farming systems.
Visakhapatnam: Farmers in the ASR district were urged to grow alternative crops such as avocado and litchi instead of cannabis. A training programme on crop diversification was held at Lambasingi Horticulture Collection Centre on Saturday, offering valuable insights into sustainable agricultural practices. District horticulture officer K. Bala Karna encouraged farmers to explore various alternatives to cannabis, including floriculture, rambutan, medicinal crops, rajma and niger.
Dr K. Tejeswara Rao, a principal scientist, discussed the benefits of enhanced farming systems. He noted that processing raw produce into semi-finished or finished goods can improve economic benefits and job creation.
As many as sixty-five farmers from Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) attended the event which also laid the groundwork for future interactive meetings focusing on alternative crops in high-altitude tribal areas. Retired teacher T. Siva Kesava Rao emphasised the importance of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare.
This initiative is part of the mandatory capacity-building programme under the pilot project on crop diversification, funded by the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare through the AICRP on integrated farming systems.
Dr B. Sahadeva Reddy, the project's principal investigator, highlighted the importance of growing diverse crops to enhance agricultural resilience against climate fluctuations, improve soil health and increase farm incomes. He stressed the need to transition from monoculture to integrated farming systems.
