Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the Dr. I.V. Subba Rao Rythu Nestham Awards to 42 farmers and agricultural scientists, and journalists at a programme jointly organised by the Muppavarapu Foundation and the Rythu Nestham Foundation, at the Swarna Bharat Trust here on Saturday.
On the occasion, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said the farmers had achieved impressive yields in spite of the prevalence of COVID-19, for which the nation would never forget them.
He stressed the need to spread awareness about water conservation and rainwater harvesting, which were crucial to meeting the future requirements.
A concerted effort should be made to reduce wastage of flood waters into the sea, he said.
Mr. Venkaiah Naidu further said agriculture continued to be the backbone of the national economy, and felt that the costs should be brought down to save the farmers from hardship.
He called upon the farmers to cut down on the usage of chemical fertilizers to the extent possible and see that agriculture was climate-friendly. Due focus should be laid on organic farming, which had many benefits, he advised.
Agriculture Minister K. Kannababu, former Ministers K. Srinivas and V. Sobhanadreeswara Rao, Rythu Nestham founder and Padma Shri awardee Yadlapalli Venkateswara Rao, and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh South India in-charge Kumara Swamy were present.
