Main Minister of Nara Chandrababa Naida. File | Photo Credit: Arrangement
The main Minister of N. Chandrababa Naida ordered officials to largely promote the cultivation of horticulture in all regions of the state, except Godavari and Krishna Deltas. The aim should be to ensure a minimum annual income of 1 lakh per acre for farmers, he said.
During the Horticulture Audit Meeting, which took place on Tuesday on the Secretariat, the main minister said that 24 horticultural clusters should be developed throughout the state, on the basis of 11 priority crops – chili, bananas, mangoes, oil palm, cocoa, dragon fruit, coconut, tomato and onions. The current area under the horticulture in the state costs 18.23 Lakh hectares. This must be doubled in the next five years. Given the growing demand for oil palm, cocoa and coconut, awareness of the cultivation of these crops must be created among farmers, he said.
Naida said there were less than 1% of global cocoa cultivation in India, emphasizing the need for the use of the global market. Cocoa must be cultivated in at least one lake acres. Furthermore, farmers should be trained to maintain quality after harvest. He also recommended to encourage farmers to set up small processing units to increase their income. Emphasis should focus on increasing the value of crops produced by farmers and added that subsidies provided for micro-sewing must be fully exploited in the state.
Mr. Naida emphasized the need to prefer SC, ST and small farmers for drip irrigation systems. For those who already have irrigation, an automation device for optimizing water and fertilizers should be installed. “Farmers should be informed about how this technology can help them save both water and fertilizers,” he said.
Officials reported on cm that the monthly conco -voice is organized in all districts to explore the potential of horticulture. They also said that fruit covers worth 32 crore were distributed to farmers of fruit growing to 10,000 hectares. This initiative, said, resulted in another reception of 120 GBP for farmers.
The Minister of Agriculture K. Atchnnaid, chairman of the agricultural mission Corporation Marreddy Srinivas Reddy and others were present.
Published – May 13, 2025 9:03
