Andhra Pradesh state government has promulgated an ordinance to protect the interests of tenant farmers. Orders to this affect have been issued last evening. The AP Land Licensed Cultivators Ordinance, 2011 will benefit over 40 lakh tenant farmers in the state by identifying them as Licensed Farmers. With this ordinance, the tenant farmers would be eligible to get crop loans and subsidy seeds and fertilizers besides getting input subsidies during natural calamities. This was the first of its kind measure the Government had initiated to protect the interests of Tenant Farmers and the ordinance was necessitated as its attempts to bring a bill during Budget session of the Assembly did not materialize.