VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed the Agriculture Department to set up an Agriculture Equipment Bank to ensure farmers have affordable access to modern machinery and to significantly reduce cultivation costs.
Chairing a review meeting at the Secretariat on Wednesday, he reviewed the status of paddy, cotton and chilli procurement and underlined the need for scientific farming, mechanisation and the use of drones to enhance productivity.
Naidu instructed officials to develop a dedicated website listing the machinery available through the Equipment Bank. He also called for awareness programmes to encourage farmers to adopt millets such as ragi, jowar and bajra in line with evolving dietary habits and to promote diversified crop patterns.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that the government has targeted procurement of 50 lakh metric tonnes of paddy for 2025–26. Of this, 18.32 lakh metric tonnes have already been purchased this kharif through 2,606 procurement centres. A total of 7.39 crore gunny bags have been supplied to farmers, and payments amounting to Rs 4,085 crore were made within 24 hours of procurement. Purchases have grown by 32 percent compared to last year. Naidu directed officials to ensure smooth operations at procurement centres and asked NDA workers to actively assist farmers.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), he criticised delays and technical problems in slot allocation via the Kapas Kisan app. He instructed officials to write to the Centre seeking an immediate solution and warned that CCI should not create hurdles for farmers.
The Chief Minister also directed coordination with analytical agencies to provide better market support for chilli and other crops. Officials reported that 45,420 hectares of subabul have been cultivated across the state. Naidu said farmers must receive fair prices based on market demand and announced plans to meet buyers of horticulture crops such as bananas and lemons.
To protect farmers from price fluctuations, Naidu emphasised rationalising harvesting schedules for commercial crops. He called for awareness drives to help farmers secure minimum support prices and directed officials to reduce transportation costs while exploring international market linkages. He stressed the need to develop product clusters to streamline production and marketing across different regions. Naidu ordered the immediate release of funds for onion procurement. Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu and others were present.