HYDERABAD: Rythu chaitanya yatras will be conducted all over the State from May 20 to June 5 to empower farmers for the khariff with better knowledge of modern farming methods to enhance agriculture production and productivity.

Progressive farmers, who have each been selected from among 250 farmers' families in the State and trained as trainers, will work as motivators during the yatras.

They will educate the farmers on getting higher yield with minimum use of water, fertilizers/pesticides and change crop pattern.

Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy will inaugurate the yatras in Guntur and Karimnagar districts on May 20. At other places, the Ministers and elected representatives will do this job.

The yatras will culminate in "rythu sadassus" which will be organised from June 8 to 12 at revenue divisional headquarters like fairs with the display of modern tools, live demonstrations, meetings and sale of products at stalls, Dr. Reddy said at a video-conference with the Collectors here on Tuesday.

He said attendance at last year's yatras was thin and hoped that there would be overwhelming response this year due to involvement of motivators.

Growth rate

He stressed the need for increasing agriculture growth rate to at least 4 per cent from the present 2.88 per cent, reminding the Collectors that over 1.1 crore families depended on this sector.

He said the growth rate of service sector, in contrast, was 9 to 11 per cent.

Bio-fuel crops

Dr. Reddy asked farmers to take to bio-fuel crops like pongamia and jatropha in a big way using marginal lands but cautioned them against replacing the regular crops for the purpose.

The country saw food grain shortage in the past two years and if already cultivated lands were to be used for bio-fuels, the shortage would become acute.

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