The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, will organise the Zonal Agriculture Conference – South Zone in Hyderabad on September 18, bringing together the Centre, Southern States and Union Territories, agricultural experts, ICAR institutions, progressive farmers and other stakeholders.
The conference will be attended by Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ministers of State Shri Ram Nath Thakur and Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, besides Ministers and senior officials from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Lakshadweep.
The conference will deliberate on key priorities including Digital Agriculture and Farmer Registry, high-value horticulture and value addition, self-reliance in edible oils and pulses, natural farming, integrated farming systems, balanced fertilizer management and measures to check spurious pesticides and fertilizers.
States will also showcase their innovations and best practices, including Telangana’s Rythunestham, Andhra Pradesh’s approach to weather variability, Karnataka’s improved pulse production practices, Kerala’s procurement and marketplace initiatives, and Tamil Nadu’s precision farming and high-tech agriculture.
The conference will seek to strengthen Centre-State coordination, facilitate sharing and replication of successful initiatives, and develop focused strategies for agricultural self-reliance, high-value horticulture, digital and climate-resilient agriculture, and stronger infrastructure for storage, processing, value addition and marketing.