FOR THE FARMER: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy examining the model of a plough before the inauguration of a `lab to land' workshop in Hyderabad on Tuesday, as Ministers, Sabita Indra Reddy and N. Raghuveera Reddy and Vice-Chancellor, NG Ranga Agricultural University, S. Raghuvardhan Reddy look on. — Photo: Satish H.

HYDERABAD : Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Tuesday urged scientists, officials and farmers to commit themselves to improving farm productivity and strive for a 50 per cent increase in three years.

Inaugurating a `lab-to-land' workshop, `rythu polallo sasthravethalu', at Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) here on Tuesday, he said development was impossible without improving the lives of farmers and rural poor and the answer lay in improving productivity. The Government was working to ensure one or more seed production centres in each mandal.

Dr. Reddy recalled that 65 per cent of the population was involved either in agriculture, horticulture or in related sectors. The buzzword should be `reduced input costs and higher yields'. Every MLA should ensure that scientists visited the fields at least once a fortnight and spent time with farmers, assisting them and sorting out problems.

Transfer of tech

Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy said the idea was to take scientists and technology to the fields. In the last kharif season, thousands of `rythu chaitanya yatras' were taken out. Transfer of technology was the key to progress in the agriculture sector. ANGRAU Vice-Chancellor S. Raghuvardhan Reddy presented a report on academic activities and detailed the transfer of technology.

Kits given away

Earlier, the Chief Minister gave away advanced and efficient soil-testing kits to two progressive farmers -- B. Narasimha Reddy from Sitarampet in Ibrahimpatnam mandal and S. Raju from Hayatnagar mandal, both in Ranga Reddy district. The kits will help farmers test soil in their fields and analyse nitrogen, sulphur content and the calcareousness of soil. This means a reduction in time, as normally any soil-testing lab takes a few weeks. The university will gave away the kits at Rs. 1,000. Dr. Raghuvardhan Reddy said the subsidy was possible with Government assistance.

While 10,000 kits were ready for distribution, the university was ready to make available as many as required, he said.

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