Kadapa Collector urges banana farmers to adopt modern technology, form FPOs
Kadapa District Collector Sridhar Cherukuri has urged the banana farmers in the district to adopt modern technologies and to form Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to
Kadapa District Collector Sridhar Cherukuri has urged the banana farmers in the district to adopt modern technologies and to form Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to ensure enhanced returns. During a visit to Komannuthala village in Lingala mandal of Pulivendula constituency on Wednesday, he inspected several banana orchards. The Pulivendula belt is known to be a banana hub, while Komannuthala village alone has 1,800 farmers cultivating high-quality banana in 3,600 acres, which are famous in national and international markets.
While offering to extend support in the form of cold storage, quality packaging, transportation and marketing, Mr. Sridhar explained to the farmers the importance of FPOs in eliminating middlemen and earning double the margin. He also encouraged them to adopt micro irrigation to improve the yield with less water. The Collector cited the ‘Sahyadri Farm FPO’ based in Nashik, Maharashtra, which has tapped into international markets, as an example of the collective strength of farmers.
He directed the District Horticulture Officer Hari Prasad to keep the farmers informed of the norms pertaining to export quality, balanced nutritional management, controlled use of fertilisers in accordance with the soil conditions and pesticides as per their
requirement. Assistant Director (Horticulture) Ravi Chandra, APMIP and Agricultural officials also took part. Later, Mr. Sridhar visited the central smart kitchen in Chennur mandal, which has been recently put to use, and also inspected the food truck management system.
The BriefWire