By integrating technology with agriculture and introducing Public Private Participation (PPP) and bringing out farm-friendly policies, the Telangana state emerged as a role model, said a report released by the World Economic Forum. The report was jointly authored by WEF Centre for Nature and Climate wing general manager Gim Huea Neo and Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao. The country has more small landholders who contribute to 50 per cent of food production. Though the governments were coming up with policies, the uncertain climatic conditions were hampering the spread of Agritech and realise its full potential.
The Telangana government tied up farming with technology and emerged as a global leader in agriculture. Increasing the profits of farmers, coming up with suitable policies and effective implementation of the same, investments, and strengthening the digital infrastructure helped take the Telangana state to greater heights. Now `Telangana model’ has become worth studying and replicating by other states. Young Telangana state has successfully taken the latest technology to the rural areas. Encouraging digital agriculture, the state government chose PPP model in collaboration with WEF. In the process, it has built four pillars – Value chain transformation, Agritech sandbox, Agricultural data exchange and agricultural data management framework.
In simple words, CM KCR very often explains how the paddy production has gone up in Telangana during the last nine years. Now the state produces more than 50 per cent of paddy being produced in the country. It outsmarted the Punjab which was ranked as number one in the past. Every issue pertaining to agriculture was addressed by the BRS government – right from input subsidy to free power, irrigation water and whatnot. Farming which was thought to be a vain vocation has been turned into a viable vocation under the stewardship of K Chandrashekhar Rao.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao