Bill Gates To Help AP Farmers Prosper

October 10, 2017 14:37

(Image source from: Deccanchronicle.com)

Bill Gates To Help AP Farmers Prosper:- Expressing concern for farmers, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, pledged to make them prosperous by revolutionizing agriculture in collaboration with Melinda-Bill Gates Foundation.

After laying the foundation for the Mega Seed Park on Monday, Naidu was addressing the public. The Seed Park is located at Tangadanche in Jupadu Bungalow Mandal in Nandikotkur Taluk of Kurnool district. To write a code for the farmers, Microsoft Founder Bill Gates will be visiting Visakhapatnam in November.

Mr. Naidu, asserting that he was a farmer first, said that the farmers need to be empowered with efficient and useful tools.

The Chief Minister said, “This place is poised to be a seed hub for the country and would become a byword for quality seeds in the world with more than 100 companies operating out of the facility.”

The Seed Park is spread over 623 acres and with an outlay of Rs 670 crore. It is formed in technical collaboration with Iowa State University and Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University. Naidu said that this would ‘revolutionize’ the way we know agriculture. He further added that Tangadanche would be transformed into another SriCity where marquee Multi National Companies line up to set shop.

Setting up of Farmer Producers’ Organizations and Water Users’ Associations are some of the innovative and best practices to be included. Different initiatives are being taken up from seeds to cultivation practices to storage and post-production processes.

High quality, disease resistant and high yielding seeds would be developed by the Mega Seed Park, which would not only benefit farmers in AP, but also other parts of India and Asia. There will also be a center for excellence and innovation.

Naidu said that to take part in a workshop on new technologies in agriculture in Vishakhapatnam, Bill Gates would be visiting AP in November. It is learnt that millions of dollars in the agriculture sector in Andhra Pradesh would be pumped up by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Moreover, Naidu tried to give an impression that the drought hit Rayalaseema was developed by TDP founder NT Rama Rao.

He said that the foresight of NTR in taking up projects like Telugu Ganga, Galeru-Nagari and Handri-Neeva are the contributions made by Telugu Desam. It may be noted that the line of NTR’s contribution to Rayalaseema to legitimize their claim over the region, was also taken by the daughter of NTR and now a BJP senior leader Daggubati Purandhareshwari.