AP becomes first state to assign unique ID for tenant farmers
Vijayawada: The state has become the first in the country to introduce a Unique Farmer ID Registry for tenant farmers, marking a major milestone in inclusive agricultural reform. The decision was finalised during a high-level meeting held at the Secretariat on Thursday between senior officials of the Government of India and the state government.
The meeting was held to finalise the operational framework for assigning unique farmer IDs to tenant cultivators, an initiative aimed at ensuring that tenant farmers receive the same recognition and benefits as land-owning farmers.
The Central team comprised Rajeev Chawla, Central in-charge of AgriStack, and Samarth Ram, technical advisor to the Government of India. From the state, Budithi Rajasekhar, special chief secretary (agriculture), G Jayalakshmi, special chief secretary (revenue), Dr Manazir Jilani Samoon, director of agriculture and K Srinivasa Rao, director of horticulture participated. Senior officers from the soil survey, land records, revenue, NIC and agriculture departments also attended.
Speaking after the meeting, Rajasekhar said Andhra Pradesh has taken a decisive step forward by extending the unique farmer ID system to tenant farmers, who are already recognised under the state’s Crop Cultivator Rights Card (CCRC) mechanism.
“Until now, the Unique Farmer ID was issued only to land-owning farmers. However, Andhra Pradesh is the only state that officially recognises tenant farmers through the CCRC system. This reform will ensure they, too, have access to all agricultural welfare schemes and benefits on par with landowners,” he said.
Rajasekhar added that the final operational procedures were developed after extensive consultations with Central and state experts. “This initiative stands as a landmark and pioneering reform at the national level, setting a model for other States to follow,” he noted.
Explaining the next steps, Dr Manazir Jilani Samoon, director of agriculture, said that awareness campaigns will be intensified to encourage all CCRC holders to register their crop details under the e-Crop system within the prescribed time.
