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The Vice President, M  Venkaiah Naidu addressing the gathering after inaugurating the AP AgTech Summit 2017, in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh on November 15, 2017.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu has said that technology plays a very important role in encouraging farmers to take up entrepreneurial ventures and agro-based industries. He was speaking after inaugurating a three-day AP AgTech Summit-2017 in Vizag where discussion on innovative ideas, technologies and global best practices for agricultural transformation in the State took place.

The summit was organised by the Andhra Pradesh Government.

Speaking at the summit, he said that “agriculture plays a vital role in India’s economy. Agriculture, along with fisheries and forestry contributes around 17 per cent of the Gross Value Added (GVA) during 2016-17 at 2011-12 prices. We have formidable challenges confronting us and we have set for ourselves a very ambitious target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022. If we have to achieve this, the progress in various sources of growth has to be accelerated by 33 percent”

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the Minister for Human Resources Development, Andhra Pradesh, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, the Minister for Endowments, Andhra Pradesh, Pydikondala Manikyala Rao and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Suggesting the ways, how technology may help the farmers, Naidu said, “technology can help improve farmers’ lives in a number of ways – to know the health of the soil and help him choose from a variety of crops that can be grown on the land; forecasting the seasonal conditions in advance; intensification and diversification of farming in order to increase productivity and farmers’ incomes.”

He also said that IT canbe used to “diversify towards other allied occupations as well like dairy and forestry; conservation of water, rain water harvesting, construction of check dams, drip and sprinkler irrigation; infrastructure like rural roads, dependable quality power, godowns, cold storage facilities, refrigerated vans and market yards; food processing; timely credit facilities at reasonable interest rates and farmer-friendly insurance policies and the market. We need to work collaboratively and strategically to make a difference in the lives of our farmers and tap into the nature’s bounty.”

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