The agriculture department has embarked on a plan to upgrade the skills of the existing Adarsha Rythulu (ideal farmers) and expand the network. The department has drawn up plans to recruit another 1,300 ideal farmers soon. As part of this, the department has launched a six-day training programme for 657 ideal farmers at six different centres in Karimnagar, Jagtial, Jammikunta, Peddapalli, Manthani and Sircilla mandals on Monday. The training programme envisages lectures by the agriculture scientists and the subject experts besides field visits. The course curriculum for the training programme has been designed to equip the ideal farmers with the requisite skills to facilitate the transfer of scientific knowledge on improved farm practices to the farmers, said the agriculture department assistant director, Mr M Madhusudhan Reddy. Speaking to this newspaper, he said that the ideal farmers will be trained on healthy farm practices in agriculture, floriculture, horticulture and other allied sectors during the six-day programme. They will be provided practical exposure to the scientific farm practices during the field visits. This apart, the subject experts will also explain the ideal farmers the micro-irrigation concepts to enable them promote drip and sprinkle irrigation methods among the farmers, he said. Meanwhile, zilla parishat chairman A. Mohan inaugurated the training programme at Krushi Bhavan in Karimnagar on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, he exhorted the ideal farmers to play a catalyst role to guide the farmers employ improved farm methods and reap rich harvest. Terming the ideal farmers' concept as a trend setting endeavour initiated by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Mr Mohan called upon the Adarsha Rythulu to justify their designated duties to realise Harithandhra Pradesh. Agriculture scientists and officials from the allied departments, besides the ideal farmers from Karimnagar, Timmapur and other mandals participated in the meet. However, several ideal farmers could not attend the training programmes in other parts due to the incessant rains.