Andhra eyes ending hunger by 2030

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India] Nov. 9 (ANI): With an aim to end hunger in the state by 2030, Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is leaving no stone unturned to give a facelift to agriculture sector in AP.

Given that Andhra Pradesh is an agrarian state where approximately 62 percent people are dependent on agriculture and allied activities, AP has initiated lot of reforms in the sector.

As a result, in the first quarter of 2017-18, Andhra Pradesh has achieved a growth rate of 26.7 percent in agriculture and allied sectors.

Even during the Chief Minister's recent US tour, agriculture remained the prime focus as he participated in internationally renowned World Food Prize-2017 awards ceremony and met top agricultural scientists, food experts, and representatives from top seed and agro companies.

AP is leveraging latest technologies in the areas of seed quality, climate and soil management, crop genetics and farm productivity.

In continuing to encourage the use of latest technologies and implement best practices available in agriculture across the globe, Andhra Pradesh Government is hosting AP AgTech Summit-2017 in Visakhapatnam on 15-17 November 2017 in partnership with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dalberg Advisors and Confederation of Indian Industry.

The summit will bring together over 1500 global leaders including business heads, start-up founders, leading policymakers, and technology experts to discuss innovative ideas for agricultural transformation in the state. Chief Guests at the event will be the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Shri N.Chandrababu Naidu, and the Co-Chair and Trustee of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates.

As part of the event, the government is also organising the Progressive Farmer-Smart Farming pitch competition to identify technology-based solutions that solve agricultural challenges faced by small and marginal farmers in AP. The winners will get an opportunity to sign a MoU with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to roll out their solution in the state.

In the view of this global event and AP's efforts to technologically reform the agriculture sector, we need your support and cooperation to make this event a huge success. (ANI)