RBKs lauded for boosting sustainable crops in state

Vijayawada: Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) have been identified as pivotal in promoting sustainable agriculture, as per a study by Centre for Economics and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad.

These centres have been instrumental in providing comprehensive services to farmers, including distribution of agricultural inputs and information dissemination.

The CESS report highlights that RBKs are a one-stop solution for farmers’ issues.

Senior professor at CESS, Dr. P Prudhvikar Reddy said that AP agriculture employs nearly two-thirds of its population and contributes 40 percent to GSDP. However, the agriculture sector in India faces several challenges that impact its productivity and sustainability. The challenges include a massive presence of smallholders, making it difficult to adopt modern agricultural methods and technologies, resulting in lower productivity, lack of access to credit to procure required quality inputs and services on time, not being thoughtful about insuring their crops.

He observed that limited access to information related to agriculture is forcing farmers to continue outdated practices, excessive use of chemical fertilizers leading to soil erosion, not getting correct prices to output due to lack of market information and linkages.

“In this backdrop, AP’s initiative of Rythu Bharosa Kendras is helping farmers in many ways right from better dissemination of knowledge, training, and access to affordable technology solutions tailored to the needs of local areas within their reach. The present leadership in the state govt recognized these challenges farmers face and launched the innovative RBKs,” said Dr Pridhvikar.

About 10,778 RBKs were set up to augment income of landowner farmer families and tenant farmers belonging to marginalized groups. RBKs are digital and integrated models for knowledge and service delivery towards sustainable agriculture.

“Chief minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy believes these RBKs are game changers in addressing the farm sector’s challenges and attaining sustainable agriculture. The main activities under RBKs are supply and information on quality seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, training and capacity building of the farmers on the latest agricultural technologies, and creating awareness of govet schemes and services. It is a one-stop shop for agriculture-related requirements and information,” said Dr Pridhvikar in his study report.

He said that RBK employees ascertain the requirement of various inputs for farmers such as crop seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. Before the establishment of RBKs, the mandal-level agriculture office supplied these inputs to a few farmers. Now, RBKs are providing these inputs to the farmers within their village.

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