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Friday / December 20. 2024

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HomePosts Tagged "Government of Andhra Pradesh"
Acquaculture, AgroPolicy, India, Live Stock

Discussions were based on critical aspects and way forward in sustainability practices, export competitiveness, infrastructure gaps, and livelihood challenges facing India’s inland fisheries industry.

NITI Aayog in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, successfully organised a two-day National Workshop on “Harnessing Potential of Fisheries in Inland States” in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is a collaborative effort aimed at maximising the potential of fisheries in India’s inland states. The workshop, held on the 15th and 16th of February 2024, drew participation from key stakeholders including central and state government officials, researchers, industry representatives, practitioners and Fish Farmer Producer Organisation (FFPO).

The workshop in its various technical sessions focused on critical aspects such as sustainability practices, export competitiveness, infrastructure gaps, and livelihood challenges facing India’s inland fisheries industry. Minister Parshotam Rupala emphasised the need for active handholding and skill development of traditional fishermen to enhance their competitiveness. He also addressed the concept of connecting each Amrit Sarovar to create opportunities for generating livelihoods through inland fisheries. He suggested that the fish market should adopt a marketing approach similar to that of a “fish mall,” fostering a culture akin to shopping malls in metropolitan cities. He highlighted the government’s emphasis on fisheries, including initiatives like Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Blue Revolution, FIDH, and other insurance related schemes.

A total of 13 states showcased their accomplishments, potential, challenges, and best practices during the workshop. The workshop concluded with a convergence on actionable recommendations and a future roadmap, emphasising the importance of inter-state and centre-state cooperation in realising the immense growth potential of India’s inland fisheries sector. The relationships forged and next steps identified during the event would lay a strong foundation for the sector’s significant growth opportunities in the future.

Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member of NITI Aayog, highlighted the achievements of Andhra Pradesh in the fisheries sector and stressed the importance of addressing regional disparities in production and productivity.

The second day of the workshop featured technical sessions on “Sustainability in Inland Fisheries: FFPOs/Cooperatives Led Development Models” and “Issues and Challenges in Inland Fisheries Industry in India.” These sessions facilitated discussions among policymakers, industry players, and fisheries startups, identifying actionable recommendations and future roadmaps for the sector’s growth.

Discussions were based on critical aspects and

AgroPolicy, India

 QCI is providing extensive technical support across various agriculture and allied sectors, fuelling Andhra Pradesh’s journey towards a Viksit Bharat built on quality and sustainability.

 The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Government of Andhra Pradesh have forged a landmark partnership by signing an MoU to transform the state’s agricultural sector during the Andhra Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp event, a QCI initiative to foster a quality mission across the states of India. This collaboration will witness QCI providing extensive technical support across various agriculture and allied sectors, fuelling Andhra Pradesh’s journey towards a Viksit Bharat built on quality and sustainability. 

Under this strategic partnership, QCI will lend its expertise in developing and designing a robust conformity assessment framework for the state’s agricultural sector. This framework will establish clear quality standards and ensure adherence to best practices throughout the value chain, from farm to fork. It will provide crucial training programs for stakeholders at all levels, empowering farmers, cooperatives, industry players, and government officials with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the quality ecosystem effectively.

The Andhra Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp commenced with the lamp lighting in the presence of Minister for Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh Govt. Kakani Govardhan Reddy Garu; Jaxay Shah, Chairperson, QCI;  Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, Chief Commissioner, RBKs, & Special Chief Secretary to A.P. Govt.; Chiranjiv Choudhary, Principal Secretary to Govt. Marketing & Cooperation Development; Dr S. S. Sreedhar, Commissioner of Horticulture & Sericulture and Dr. A. Raj, CEO of the National Board for Quality Promotion, QCI. Minister also launched the QCI IndG.A.P. Portal and presented IndG.A.P. certificates to selected farmers belonging to different villages of the state.

 Additionally, QCI will offer its esteemed accreditation services, further bolstering confidence in the quality and safety of Andhra Pradesh’s agricultural produce.

Kakani Govardhan Reddy Garu, Minister for Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh Govt said, “We are delighted to join hands with QCI in this transformative initiative. Their expertise and support will be invaluable in our vision to make Andhra Pradesh a leader in quality agriculture. Together, we will build a quality ecosystem at the grassroots level for all the stakeholders associated with agriculture and its allied sectors, including farmers.”

Recognizing the importance of integrating the quality mission through state collaborations, Jaxay Shah, Chairperson, QCI, asserted that QCI will actively collaborate with government institutions and agricultural universities in Andhra Pradesh to empower the youth of the state and provide them with an opportunity to contribute in building a holistic quality ecosystem for a Viksit Bharat in its Gaurav Kaal. He further stated, “This collaboration will focus on capacity building and knowledge sharing, ensuring that the state’s institutions are equipped to independently handle quality assurance practices in the long run. In addition to this, youngsters of Andhra Pradesh will also benefit from various youth-empowering initiatives of QCI like Gunvatta Gurukul.”

 QCI is providing extensive technical support across

Agro Universities, India, Nature, R&D, Sustainability

Farmer Scientist earns Rs 25,000 – 50,000 per month from A-grade NF farming during the course itself from the first year.

IGGAARL, also referred as Academy, is a collaborative institution set up by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, India with support from the Government of Germany has launched a four-year Farmer Scientist Course (FSC) in Natural Farming. A first of its kind in the world, the course builds a practicing natural farmer to become a participatory Farmer Scientist, a model farmer, a participatory learning facilitator, an entrepreneur and a climate-resilient village developer. It meets the knowledge gaps in agroecology and builds capacities of NF domain with 1,000 Farmer Scientists graduating every year. Apart from building knowledge-skills-tools for A-grade natural farming, FSC imparts technical, research and experiential knowledge and skills on science, value chains, community, ecology, and leadership. Farmer Scientist earns Rs 25,000 – 50,000 per month from A-grade NF farming during the course itself from the first year.

Intake in FSC is about 1,000 per batch. The instruction is in 25 Research and Learning Centres in districts. Initially, these students would come from AP and gradually, FSC expects to start enrolling students from outside AP.

Iris Harder, Principal Portfolio Manager, Natural Resources & Climate – Asia, KfW Development Bank, said, “We are proud to cooperate with IGGAARL and its launch of the Farmer Scientist course. A combination of theory and practice is important. Underlying Natural Farming is knowledge-intensive and knowledge is the only resource that will increase only when it is shared.”

Recently, the FSC has been launched at Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh, India, by Kakani Govardhan Reddy, the Minister for Agriculture & Cooperation and Food Processing, Government of Andhra Pradesh. Addressing the Farmer Scientist students, Kakani Govardhan Reddy said, “APCNF is the largest agroecology programme in the country. It requires best practitioners with a curious mind, conceptual clarity, and learning facilitation abilities to scale up NF. The Farmer Scientist graduates of the FSC course will contribute to NF Global movement at local levels.” Further, he indicated their plan to give all the students of this batch a modest monthly living stipend during the entire 4-year period, as a token of recognition of them being the first batch of pioneers; first-timers in the world.

Vijay Kumar Thallam, the Executive Vice Chairman of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) said, “What we have learnt in the past 7 years is that through the adoption of Natural Farming, it is possible for a small or marginal farmer to earn Rs. 50,000 per month from one-acre land, and Rs 10,000 per month from a 0.2 acre anytime money kitchen garden.”  

In a virtual address to the gathering, Dr Pavan Sukhdev, the Founder-CEO of GIST Impact informed that their recent study concluded that farmers using natural inputs achieved equal or higher yields up to 11 per cent compared to other farmer systems and the net incomes averaged 49 per cent and witnessed more women participation in the workforce. He feels the Farmer Scientist course launched today contributes immensely to strengthening ongoing work and influencing policies.

Farmer Scientist earns Rs 25,000 - 50,000