Vijayawada: The Department of Agriculture has launched an ambitious campaign to reduce the state’s reliance on chemical fertilisers by 11 per cent. This initiative, directly mandated by the Chief Minister, aims at promoting organic farming practices and alternative nutrient management strategies among farmers. Director of Agriculture Dilli Rao unveiled awareness posters and wall charts at the Directorate of Agriculture here on Thursday, marking the official launch of the campaign. Speaking at the event, Rao highlighted the current annual consumption of chemical fertilisers in the state, which stands at a substantial 36.5 lakh metric tonnes.

The Chief Minister has directed a reduction of 4 lakh metric tonnes, bringing the target consumption down to 32.5 lakh metric tonnes. To achieve this goal, the Department of Agriculture has formulated a comprehensive action plan under the theme “Back to the Roots,” focusing on partially replacing chemical fertilizers with organic alternatives. Director Dilli Rao emphasised the detrimental effects of the indiscriminate use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, particularly urea in crops like paddy and maize. To ensure widespread awareness and adoption, the department is intensifying its outreach efforts through wall charts, pamphlets, posters and mass outreach programmes under the “Polam Pilustondi” initiative.

With the Kharif season already underway, the Director urged all field-level agricultural officers to actively engage with farmers and diligently promote the 11 percent reduction target in chemical fertilizer usage. Additional Director VV Vijayalakshmi, ATMA Director Prasad, Joint Director (Fertilizers) Krupadas, Deputy Director G Venkateswara Rao, DD Planning Swarna Vijaya, and other departmental personnel were present.