Mohan Babu University launches Farmer’s Advisory Center to help farmers in Chandragiri Mandal

Vikas Singh, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, Mohan Babu University

Mohan Babu University (MBU) in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh has launched a Farmer’s Advisory Center (FAC) in Chandragiri Mandal to provide science-based agricultural support to farmers in 22 villages.

Vikas Singh, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, MBU, said the FAC, which was established in February this year, is an institution that connects farmers with the latest agricultural research, best practices, training and resources to improve productivity, profitability and sustainability. The center was established to provide services such as soil and water analysis, diagnosis of pests and diseases and training on the latest technologies to empower local farmers in and around MBU.

Farmers in Chandragiri Mandal grow crops such as paddy, groundnut, sugarcane and mango.

FAC’s service is offered from the MBU School of Agriculture on the university campus. “To provide easy access and a single point of contact, we are now in the process of setting up the FAC just in front of the campus. Being on the highway, farmers will have easy access to the service,” he said in an email interview.

FAC helps farmers at all stages of crop production, from sowing to harvest, with services such as soil and water testing, fertilizer recommendations, pest and disease diagnostics, and application of the right amount of fertilizer and pesticides. This will help farmers reduce their input costs and increase crop yields, he said.

All faculty members of the Department of Agriculture are part of this initiative. Students studying BSc (Hons) Agriculture are involved in the project by giving demonstrations to farmers, encouraging them and creating awareness about the value of soil and water analysis.

When asked how FAC’s services help farmers, he said soil health cards helped identify the exact nutrient deficiency so that farmers applied the right type and amount of fertilizer, reducing costs by as much as 20-30 percent and improving yields. The exact and early identification of pests and diseases reduced input costs and reduced effective control of the devastating pests and diseases.

Farmers adopted improved and latest technologies such as adoption of high yielding varieties, proper spacing, mulching and organic inputs, increasing productivity by 15-25 percent. Knowledge about post-harvest processing and market demand helped farmers sell the produce directly at local or nearby urban markets, fetching 10-15 percent higher prices, he added.

Published on October 10, 2025