Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Reaping awards for innovations

Mekala Lakshminarayana

GUNTUR: He may have a made a habit of winning awards for innovative farming practices, but Mekala Lakshminarayana still remains a quintessential farmer at heart pursuing his ideas with the agricultural research institutions and experimenting in his fields.

Like he did in developing Aflotoxin-free and residual-free chilli State varieties in his farm at Revalla village in Tadikonda mandal, inspiring scores of other farmers and helping them market their yield through the Spices Board and the ITC. As a result, the chilli yield touched a record 30 quintals per acre and Mr. Lakshminarayana soon became popular.

Another innovative post-harvest management technique, which he put to use successfully, was the poly drier technology. In 2005, when the Ogni cyclone destroyed thousands of acres, he volunteered to support the agricultural university’s efforts to set up poly driers.

Mr. Lakshminarayana even persuaded the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to adopt two villages -- Mandipudi village in Amaravathi mandal and Revella village in Tadikonda. Finally, in 2007 two premier agricultural research institutions in the country recognised his contribution.

Mr. Lakshminarayana was presented with the Jagjivan Ram Kisan Puraskar, an award constituted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (IACR) for innovative practices in crop production in July 2008. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute presented him the Progressive Farmer Award too in 2007, helping Mr. Lakshminarayana win a rare double in one year. Earlier, he was presented with the Progressive Farmer award in 1999.

“The government should constitute awards taking village as the unit and encourage farmers,” he said.

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