In 2014, Masthan Basha Shaik, 63, arrived at Dubai International Airport to finally return home after two decades as a truck driver in the UAE. Mr. Shaik, who had saved a substantial amount during his stay in the UAE, was brimming with excitement as he envisioned his life as a steel trader in his hometown of Rajampeta — a prominent commercial center in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district.
However, his long stay at the Dubai airport due to a flight delay changed the course of his plans. When his flight to Chennai was delayed by three hours, Mr. Shaik found himself wandering through the terminal until he reached a popular juice bar. He noticed a young couple drinking papaya smoothies, which tempted him to order one. After enjoying it, he immediately ordered a second one. Mr Shaik soon struck up a conversation with the bar attendant, who introduced himself as Rasool, 32, and mentioned that he was from Chitvel – just 25km from Bashin’s hometown.
During their conversation, Mr. Shaik learned that the papayas used were imported from Kodur Railway, a town located between Rajampeta and Chitvel in Andhra Pradesh. Moved by the interest, he arrived in Chennai with a new business module focused on papaya cultivation. Within a few weeks, a would-be steel trader bought a three-acre plot in Penagalur mandal.
Today, a decade later, Mr Shaikh’s two daughters are settled in Dubai, where their husbands run four juice bars and trade in export-quality fruit pulp across the UAE. “I am not the only Masthan Basha Shaik of Rajampeta who has tasted success. There are hundreds like me who have returned from the Persian Gulf and are earning a decent living through horticulture,” said Mr. Shaik.
Rajampeta division of Annamayya district has witnessed remarkable growth in fruit and vegetable cultivation over the last four decades. From barely a hundred horticultural growers in the 1980s to several thousand in the late 1990s, the region today boasts nearly 40,000 horticultural growers – a twenty-fold increase in just three decades.
Banana plantations at Chitvel in Annamayya district. | Photo credit: K. Umashanker
The picturesque region of Rajampeta is surrounded by the Palakonda (Seshachalam), Nallamala and Lankamala mountain ranges. The forested hills – including the NE National Park and the Penusila Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Nature Reserve – act as natural protective barriers. This unique geography combined with diverse soils, irrigation methods and climatic conditions has shaped the horticultural identity of the region today.
Farmers who once relied on rain-fed crops such as groundnuts and pulses gradually switched to fruit trees and vegetables. Horticulture flourished here due to Rayalaseema’s semi-arid climate, sandy loam soils and ancient tank-based irrigation systems dating back to the Chola and Vijayanagara dynasties.
“This dynamic transformation from traditional agriculture to a vibrant horticultural economy is unique to Rajampeta,” said Garika Venkat, 45, a software engineer who manages a five-acre banana plantation near Anantharajupeta village.
According to scientists at the University of Horticulture, Dr. YSR in Anantharajupeta started a horticultural revolution in Rayalaseema by Rajampeta division, especially after the establishment of fruit nurseries and training centers by the State Horticulture Department promoting grafted mango varieties like Banganapalli, Neelum, Totapuri and Alphonso.
They noted that before the 1980s, gardening was limited to backyard orchards and small vegetable gardens near reservoirs and streams. Mango and banana crops were scattered over Nandaluru, Obulavaripalle and Penagalur mandals and depended almost entirely on rainfall with little support from irrigation.
However, between 1980 and 2000, the cultivation of horticultural crops expanded rapidly with the introduction of borehole irrigation and micro-irrigation. In the 1990s, the Cheyyeru and Gunjaneru river basins became a boon for farmers who began experimenting with mango orchards. Around the same time, Gulf returnees, flush with dirhams and dinars, set about cultivating bananas and papaya across the alluvial plains near Rajampeta and Obulavaripalle.
A truck carrying bananas to Tirupati from Kodur railway in Annamayya district. | Photo credit: K. Umashanker
In 2022, after the reorganization of Rajampeta division under the newly created Annamayya district, horticulture received renewed government focus through programs such as the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), which promoted micro-irrigation, drip and irrigation systems, and high-density crops.
Mango reigns supreme in Rajampeta and dominates large areas in Penagalur, Obulavaripalle and Pullampeta mandals. These areas produce commercial varieties such as Banganapalli, Neelum and Totapuri, which are exported to markets across India and abroad, including Southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf.
Bananas and papayas thrive in the irrigated belts of Rajampeta and Nandalur mandals, supported by borewell and tank-fed systems. These crops contribute significantly to the annual income of farmers, often alternating with seasonal vegetables. Farmers are also increasingly growing sweet lime, guava and coconut, adopting mixed farming systems and intercropping that improve soil sustainability and health.
Vegetable cultivation has become an integral part of the regional economy, with farmers in the Railway Kodur and Cheyyeru valley areas growing tomato, brinjal and chilli in abundance. Excellent road connectivity to the Chennai–Bombay National Highway and easy transport to the city’s markets have further boosted the region’s economic prospects.
Despite such favorable conditions, farmers face increasing challenges such as erratic weather, recurring crop diseases and lack of marketing facilities and government support.
“Across Penagalur, Obulavaripalle, Nandaluru and Pullampet mandals, we have seen declining yields in the last five years,” said Mallikarjuna (35), a farmer from Anantharajupet. “Rayalaseema’s typical drought is now associated with sudden cloudbursts and flash floods that disrupt soil conditions,” he added.
Another farmer from Obulavaripalle, Rajasekhar (42), pointed to yellowed papaya leaves: “In recent years, temperatures have risen sharply during the day and dropped sharply at night. Papaya cannot tolerate such drastic changes.”
Farmers also pointed out that frequent flash floods along the Cheyyeru and Gunjaneru rivers damage root systems and erode fertile topsoil – particularly devastating for banana plantations. During the peak harvest months of June and July, when the southwest monsoon sets in, pest and fungal attacks worsen.
Mango orchards are attacked by anthracnose, powdery mildew and fruit flies, while banana crops suffer from sigatoka leaf spot and stem borer, they said. Farmers were also worried that the moisture after Cyclone “Montha” would exacerbate these problems and potentially force them to increase their use of pesticides.
While the farmers pointed to obstacles in selling their crops, they noted that the region produces more than 3.5 million tons of mangoes, two million tons of bananas and a similar amount of papaya annually. However, they face problems in selling their products in the market due to lack of proper marketing facilities and government support.
Hussain, 30, a young farmer said, “Our 2.7-acre land was farmed by my parents till a decade ago. After Covid, the cost of cultivation and transportation has skyrocketed. This year, our banana yield was over 70%, but prices have come down to ₹ 3 per kg – while the same quantity sells for ₹ 60-70 in the open market.”
Farmers claimed that until five years ago, traders from northern states used to visit Rajampeta fields to buy produce at what local farmers called the “minimum fair price”, which saved farmers the cost of abatement and transportation. “But now we are at the mercy of middlemen,” said Ravindra (28), another young farmer from Chitvel. “Agents set prices however they want. It’s clearly a syndicate,” he claimed.
Similarly, Narasimha, 61, who grows papaya in Chitvel, said prices have come down to ₹5 per kg. “Since the fruit is highly perishable, the agents are waiting for our emergency calls. We have no choice but to sell at whatever price they quote,” he said.
For mangoes, the government offered a subsidy of ₹4 on the price of ₹8 per kg after farmers protested the pulp industry’s reluctance to pay more than ₹4 per kg. Although the district administration announced an “unofficial support price” in June, many farmers said they are yet to receive the subsidy, according to reports.
However, Annamayya District Horticulture Officer SSV Subhashini clarified that mango, banana and papaya crops are not covered under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme. “The recent price fixation of mangoes was only a government intervention to ease the hardships of farmers,” she said.
A field officer from the horticulture department in Rajampeta said horticulture has taken a big hit between 2015 and 2020.
Young farmers who took up farming instead of IT jobs said they did not get the support and growth they had hoped for. They recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 promise to set up cold storage and processing units in the Rayalaseema region.
They said they were reconsidering their decision. “It’s better to go back to work than fight a losing battle,” said a local banker, adding that his son-in-law, an MS graduate from the US, returned to the IT sector after a failed attempt at farming.
They further claimed that the presence of Dr. YSR Horticultural University College at Anantharajupeta did not help them with field level solutions. “Scientists do good research but the fruits of their labor never reach our farms due to lack of funding,” they claimed.
Farmers pointed out these hurdles and noted that Rajampeta – formerly part of Kadapa district – received more administrative attention before it was merged into the new Annamayya district. “Now the district headquarters in Rayachoti is far from accessible. We are focusing most on Madanapalle and Rayachoti divisions,” said a faculty member at Dr. YSR Horticultural University College.
“Given the horticultural potential of Rajampeta and its vital role in the rural economy, the region can really prosper if it becomes the district headquarters,” the farmers said.
