VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has been doing well in agriculture and allied sectors in the last three years compared to the previous TDP regime, MVS Nagi Reddy, Vice-Chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Agriculture Mission (APSAM), has said.
He said the growth rate in agriculture was -10.54% in 2018-19 and it increased to 29.79% in 2019-20, but fell down by -3.48% in 2020-21, only to increase again to 6.3% in 2021. Similarly, the growth rate in horticulture increased from -1.13% in 2018-19 to 13.24% in 2021-22. The growth rate in the agriculture and allied sectors put together was 14.50% in 2021-22 as against 6.54% in 2018-19. Most importantly, no drought was registered in the last three years anywhere in the State, he explained.
The foodgrains production and procurement are better in the last three years compared to previous five years under the TDP regime. The average paddy output was 121.92 lakh metric tonnes between 2014 and 2018. In 2019-29, the paddy production increased to 130.97 lakh tonnes. The paddy out was put at 125.24 lakh tonnes in 2021-22. The paddy production increased to 9.08 lakh tonnes on an average in the last three years compared to 2014-19, he explained. In terms of foodgrains, the average production was 153.95 lakh tonnes during 2014-18, which increased to 175.12 lakh tonnes in 2019-20. In 2020-21foodgrains output decreased to 166.60 tonnes, and to 160.01 lakh tonnes in 2021-22. On an average 13.29 lakh tonnes of foodgrains were produced more per annum during the last three years compared to the TDP regime.
In case of horticulture, the total production was 305.20 tonnes in 2018-19, which increased to 312.34 lakh tonnes in 2019-20. It further increased to 314.78 lakh tonnes in 2020-21 and to 369.13 lakh tonnes in 2021-22. Compared to 2018-19, the land under horticulture crops also increased by 0.71 lakh hectares in 2021-22.
Nagi Reddy said in the last three years, besides sizeable allocation to agriculture and allied sectors, financial assistance to farmers under different schemes was also high. A total of `83,000 crore was provided as an aid to agriculture and allied sectors.
In 2014-15, out of `1,11,824 crore State budget, agriculture and allied sectors were allocated `13,110 crore, that is 11.72% of the total outlay. In 2022-23, the State budget outlay was `2,56,256.36 crore and out of which agriculture and allied sectors were allocated `43,052.56 crore, that is 16.80%. The figures highlight the fact that the YSRC government has given top priority to agriculture and allied sectors and farmers’ welfare, compared to the previous TDP regime, he added.