Only TRS MLAs in government's 'progressive farmer' list

HYDERABAD: Come April 27, four TRS MLAs will set off on an apparent junket to Tel Aviv in Israel to visit an international farm exhibition. The delegation, which includes some others as well, is to be led by agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy. Interestingly, all the MLAs are listed as 'progressive farmers' and the cost of the trip is to be borne by Prof Jayshankar Telangana State Agricultural University.
In its orders released here on Monday, the state government said the delegation will comprise the university registrar V Praveen Rao, commissioner of horticulture L Venkatram Reddy, the agriculture minister's private secretary G Mohan Reddy, a progressive farmer and chairman of a primary agricultural cooperative society P Bhaskar Reddy and four ruling TRS MLAs - Eanugu Ravinder Reddy (Yellareddy MLA), Kalvakuntla Vidya Sagar Rao (Korutla MLA), Gangula Kamalakar (Karimnagar MLA) and Dasari Manohar Reddy (Peddapalle MLA).
Interestingly, the government appears not to have found a single progressive farmer among any of the MLAs or MLCs from other political parties.
Tel Aviv is hosting the 19th International Agriculture Exhibition - Agritech 2015 - from April 27 to April 30 and the delegation is expected to learn much from the event. Afterwards, the delegation will continue its trip with visits to orchards, green houses and open cultivation plots till May 4, after which they are expected to return to the state. The exhibition is themed 'facing challenges in post harvest food losses.'
The orders issued by the government did not mention how the selected 'progressive farmers' will help either other farmers or horticulturists in Telangana upon their return.