VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has instructed officials to expand horticulture cultivation in the State, excluding the Godavari and Krishna deltas, aiming for a minimum annual income of Rs 1 lakh per acre for farmers. During a review meeting on Tuesday, he emphasised establishing 24 horticulture clusters, focusing on 11 crops, including chili, banana, mango, oil palm, cocoa, dragon fruit, cashew, coffee, coconut, tomato and onion.
Naidu urged officials to double the State’s current 18.23 lakh hectares under horticulture within five years. Highlighting the growing demand for oil palm, cocoa, and coconut, he underlined need to educate farmers on these crops. India contributes less than 1% to global cocoa production, prompting Naidu to target cocoa cultivation on one lakh acres.
He emphasised post-harvest training and small-scale processing units to increase farmers’ earnings. “Value addition to crops is crucial,” he said, stressing effective utilisation of subsidies for micro-irrigation, especially for SC, ST, and small farmers.
He advocated automation to optimise water and fertiliser use, underscoring the importance of drip irrigation systems. Officials reported that monthly horticulture conclaves are being organised to explore the potential of sector, and Rs 32 crore worth of fruit covers have been distributed to farmers cultivating horticulture crops in 10,000 hectares, which generated Rs 120 crore additional income. The meeting was attended by Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu and Agriculture Mission Corporation Chairman M Srinivas Reddy.