Farmers' Panel Studies Dryland Crops at ICRISAT
Kodanda Reddy recalled that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi played a key role in establishing ICRISAT in Telangana and praised the institute for contributing to food security in India and several other countries.
Nizamabad: The Telangana Farmers Commission led by chairman Kodanda Reddy visited the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics at Patancheru near Hyderabad to study dryland farming practices and crop diversification.
The commission members, along with government adviser P. Sudarshan Reddy, examined dryland crops being cultivated at the institute and interacted with scientists during the field visit.
The team reviewed crops that require less water and have shorter growing periods, including sorghum, groundnut, chickpea, red gram and several millet varieties. They also observed the cultivation of a new green fodder crop being developed at the institute.
Later, the commission held discussions with scientists on crop diversification, dryland farming, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and measures to enhance farmers’ income. Scientists also explained cultivation methods aimed at reducing pest and disease incidence.
During the discussions, the commission reviewed the existing cropping pattern in Telangana, where paddy, cotton and maize dominate cultivation. It stressed the need to promote crop diversification by encouraging farmers to take up crops such as chickpea, millets and groundnut as alternatives to paddy.
Kodanda Reddy recalled that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi played a key role in establishing ICRISAT in Telangana and praised the institute for contributing to food security in India and several other countries.
He said the observations made during the visit would be compiled into a report to be submitted to the state government. He also urged farmers in Telangana to adopt crop diversification and cultivate dryland crops that require less water but offer better returns.
The visit assumes significance as the commission plans to undertake district-level tours in the coming weeks.
During the field visit, scientists including Dr Hari Kishan Sudini, Dr Murali Krishna Gumma and Dr Kumar Charyulu briefed the team on dryland crop research. The delegation later held discussions with ICRISAT director-general Himanshu Pathak and deputy director-general Stanford Blade on ongoing agricultural research initiatives.
