The Horticulture Department has taken the tech route to impart training to farmers in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The scientists from ITC and officials of the Horticulture Department have reached out to farmers through digital media. More than 150 farmers from 20 villages have been trained as part of 'Integrated Agri Extension Platform for Chilli Value Chain Development' of the department.
Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjiv Choudhary says that the chilli farmers in the State have geared up to sow chilli with monsoon arriving at the right time. It is essential that they are trained on the market demand and good agricultural practices. But, it is not possible to gather farmers in large numbers in view of the pandemic. So, the digital training concept has been developed, he says.
Trial basis
Mr. Chiranjiv Choudhary says that the digital training concept was taken up on trial basis on July 31. Then, 140 participants, including 108 farmers from 17 villages of Krishna, Kurnool, Guntur and Prakasam districts took part. More than 150 farmers took part in the digital training conducted on Wednesday. "To understand the efficacy of the programme, an online assisted polling was held for participants. All participants expressed the view that the concept is useful. They have given 'Excellent' rating for the programme," he says.
Services of the field staff present in villages have been used to gather five to eight farmers in one place by abiding physical distancing norm. The existing resources such as Rhythu Bharosha Kendras (RBKs), TVs, smartphones and video calling app have been leveraged to conduct the training programme. The farmers have been given a toll free number of ITC’s digital engagement center (call center), where farmers can connect to get their agriculture queries addressed at any point of time by agri experts.
To be replicated
The Horticulture Department and ITC have planned to replicate the concept and continue training the farmers covering each and every stage of chilli production. This initiative is a part of “Integrated Agri Extension Platform for Chilli Value Chain Development” a successful PPP programme run by the Horticulture Department and ITC. In 2020, the 'Integrated Agri Extension Platform for Chilli Value Chain Development' project is set to cover 25,000 acres, covering 10,000 farmers with an aim to benefit 40,000 farmers in near future, he says.