Minister calls for positioning Telangana as agri tech hub

Hyderabad: Telangana Minister for Agriculture, Marketing, Cooperation, Tummala Nageswara Rao inaugurating the fourth edition of CII Agri Tech South 2024 and Agri Vision 2024 in the city on Friday underscored the need for innovation and technology in agriculture so as to directly benefit the farmers.

The Minister stressed that the progress of the State hinges on the prosperity of its farmers, which can be achieved if farmers effectively utilise these advancements and experience improved outcomes. He urged Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to organise similar exhibitions and conferences at various Districts, Mandals, and Raithu Vedikas, emphasising on the importance of reaching out to farmers directly.

Highlighting the government’s focus on agriculture and farmers, M Raghunandan Rao, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of Telangana said that various initiatives are being undertaken, including the establishment of audio-visual facilities at different administrative levels such as District Agriculture Offices, Mandal offices, and Raithu Vedikas.

CII Telangana – EY White Paper on Revolutionising Telangana’s Agriculture: A Digital Approach was released at the AgriVision Conference. The white paper explores how artificial intelligence (AI), remote sensing, robotics, and various digital tools can reshape agriculture in Telangana. The focus is not merely on adopting technology arbitrarily but on utilising its capabilities to establish a sustainable, productive, and resilient agricultural environment, CII said in an official release.

C Shekar Reddy, Chairman, CII Telangana delivered the welcome address. Other speakers included Dr Ronnie Coffman, International Professor (Emeritus), Cornell University, USA; Prof Ginige Athula, Professor – Computing, Western Sydney University; Dr B Gopi, Director - Agriculture, Government of Telangana; K Ashok Reddy, Director-Horticulture, Telangana; Dr V Praveen Rao, Former Vice Chancellor, Prof Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University; V Anil Kumar Epur, past Chairman, CII Southern Region