VIJAYAWADA: Nellore district has rolled out an innovative “Champion Farmer” programme aimed at bringing transformative changes in agriculture, said district collector Himanshu Shukla. Explaining the concept at the district collectors conference chaired by the chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday, the collector said the initiative focuses on identifying one progressive farmer in every village and positioning him as a “champion farmer” to guide and motivate fellow farmers.VIJAYAWADA: “Through the champion farmer model, we are creating local leaders in agriculture who can demonstrate best practices and share knowledge at the grassroots level,” Himanshu Shukla said. The collector said the programme is designed to promote natural farming, increase mechanisation, reduce excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, and encourage value addition to crops. “Our objective is to lower input costs while improving productivity and income. We are also encouraging farmers not to depend only on paddy but to shift towards alternative and diversified crops based on local suitability and market demand,” he said. Himanshu Shukla said that the district administration has incorporated several key components in the programme, including crop diversification, scientific farming methods, post-harvest value addition and better market linkages. He added that the initiative is being supported through Farmer Service Centres and Swarna Andhra Vision Units to ensure last-mile delivery of technology, inputs and advisory services. Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu lauded the Nellore collector for conceptualising and implementing the champion farmer initiative. “The ‘Champion Farmer’ experiment is a very good and farmer-friendly innovation. I appreciate Nellore district collector Himanshu Shukla for coming up with such a practical model that can create visible impact at the village level,” the Chief Minister said. Recalling his interaction with the Collector, Chandrababu Naidu said, “I even requested Himanshu to stay back in Amaravati, but he chose to go to the district saying he would create impact on the ground. Today, we can clearly see that he is doing an excellent job.” The chief minister stressed that such innovative practices should be replicated across the State. “All district collectors must study and create awareness on farmer-benefiting models like this through Farmer Service Centres and Swarna Andhra Vision Units. Our focus is clear — agriculture must become profitable, sustainable and resilient,” he said. Referring to the state’s broader agricultural strategy, Chandrababu Naidu said the govt has recently launched the ‘Rythanna Mee Kosam’ programme exclusively for farmers. “Our goal is to reduce farmers’ expenditure and ensure they earn the highest possible income. Every policy and programme we design must work towards that objective,” the chief minister said. With the champion farmer initiative, Nellore district is emerging as a model for farmer-led agricultural transformation, blending innovation, sustainability and community participation to improve farm livelihoods.
