VIJAYAWADA: With an aim to increase the extent of organic farming in the district, the horticulture department of Krishna district is going to implement a special action plan for the monsoon season to achieve maximum produce and good profits. Officials are also planning to increase the organic farming in the district by providing subsidy to the farmers.
As the monsoon rains are slowly spreading across the Krishna district, officials of the Horticulture department are rolling out the subsidy schemes for the farmers. For this monsoon season, as much as 300 hectares of land is going to be harvested for vegetable and fruit production. The farmers were given liberty to choose between growing vegetables or fruits as per their interests. In Krishna district, mango, guava and papaya are the mostly grown fruits.
Though mango is a seasonal crop, papaya and guava are perennial, which are being cultivated throughout the year. Especially in the monsoon season, the cultivation of these two fruits see a hike. As far as vegetables are concerned, chillies, ladies fingers, eggplants, ridge gourds, gherkins, green leafy vegetables and others are being grown in large quantities. For vegetables alone, the cultivation area is over 200 hectares. The officials are also providing a subsidy upto Rs 6,000 per five acres to the farmers who take up horticulture cultivations.
Speaking to TNIE, A Dayakar, Assistant Director of Horticulture Department Krishna district, said, “Like every year, we developed an action plan for the monsoon season. Our major focus is on the farm produce of vegetables and fruits. Currently, we are expecting cultivation in over 300 hectare of land across the district. The farmers can buy seeds of their own choice and apply for receiving subsidy. We transfer the amount online to their accounts, after getting their application. For one acre, Rs 1,200 will be paid as subsidy and maximum Rs 6,000 for five acres”. Across the district, the organic vegetable is being cultivated in 57,000 acre and the officials aim to increase it to 1 lakh acre by the end of 2019.