Rs. 100cr reward for Andhra Pradesh farmers, but with conditions
What's the story
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu yesterday said farmers from the state would be rewarded with Rs. 100cr if they win Nobel Prize in natural farming. He said the government has set a goal of achieving 100% zero-budget natural farming (ZBNF) across the state by 2024. Naidu said 5 lakh ryots have taken up cropping under ZBNF method in the state this year.
Vision
AP government aims to bring 60L farmers into ZBNF
Addressing a program aimed at training farmers in ZBNF, Naidu said, "Our aim is to bring all farmers and all cultivable land (8 million hectares) in the state to ZBNF in the next five years. In five years, every village will become a bio-village." "Our ultimate vision is to bring all of 60 lakh farmers in the state into ZBNF," the Chief Minister said.
Role model
AP farmers should become role models in natural farming: Naidu
"Andhra Pradesh farmers should become role models to the world in natural farming. We should win the Nobel Prize in this and whoever wins that will be given Rs. 100cr," the 68-year-old AP Chief Minister said. He also pointed out that consuming food grown through natural farming will also increase the average lifespan from the current 65-69 years in India to 85-90 years.
ZBNF method
Other countries have shown interest in studying ZBNF, says Naidu
Naidu further said countries like El Salvador and Rwanda evinced interest in studying ZBNF being practiced in Andhra Pradesh. "I recently spoke on ZBNF at a UN Environment Program event. It has been noted there that ZBNF is being practised only in AP," he informed at the event that was also attended by Agriculture Minister S Chandramohan Reddy and Agriculture Principal Secretary B Rajasekhar.