VIJAYAWADA: Making a strong appeal to people’s representatives, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed all MLAs and MLCs to visit farmlands every month from October, interact with farmers, understand their issues, and explain the government’s efforts to make agriculture viable. A structured action plan will support this initiative.
Participating in short discussion on agriculture in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, the Chief Minister reaffirmed his government’s commitment to farmers’ welfare, emphasising policies to make farming profitable and sustainable.
Presenting a detailed PowerPoint on the agriculture sector, Naidu outlined initiatives to boost irrigation, reduce cultivation costs, and promote value addition through food processing, while addressing challenges in aquaculture and the excessive use of fertilisers.
Naidu, hailing from a farming family, dismissed the notion that his focus is solely on IT. “Every decision I take is for farmers. From Neeru-Chettu to building reservoirs and canals, our policies aim to strengthen agriculture,” he said.
He stressed the need to ensure Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for crops, encourage diverse and organic farming, and set up farmer markets to align with changing food preferences.
Raising concerns over fertiliser misuse, Naidu pointed out that AP ranks second in the country in fertiliser and pesticide use.
CM flags urea overuse, announces Rs 800 subsidy
Excessive urea is harming soil, groundwater and public health,” he warned, noting a 25% rise in consumption this year due to floods and an additional 1.16 lakh acres brought under cultivation. To counter this, the government will provide a Rs 800 subsidy under the PM PRANAM scheme to farmers who reduce chemical fertiliser use, while promoting the use of drones for targeted pest control to cut pesticide dependence.
Naidu said efficient water management had transformed agriculture, with reservoirs brimming and Nellore farmers cultivating two crops this year instead of one. He noted that Andhra Pradesh’s leadership in micro and drip irrigation had saved significant water and resources, becoming a model adopted by Gujarat. The State provides a 90% subsidy for micro-irrigation, which has helped increase farmer incomes by Rs 8,000 crore.
Under the Annadata Sukheebhava-PM Kisan scheme, Rs 3,173 crore has been disbursed to farmers, with Rs 7,000 paid per farmer in the first phase. Compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare was announced for onion farmers, while the government procured 1,267 metric tonnes of tomatoes and extended support to mango, chilli, cocoa, cotton and tobacco farmers.
Turning to aquaculture, Naidu highlighted the crisis triggered by US tariffs imposed during Donald Trump’s tenure, which impacted Rs 21,000 crore worth of shrimp exports. The government, he said, was supporting the sector by supplying power at Rs 1.50 per unit, reducing feed costs by Rs 9 per kg, and exploring new export markets. Seaweed cultivation is also being encouraged to strengthen the marine economy and create jobs.
Agriculture contributes 35% to Andhra Pradesh’s Gross State Domestic Product (Rs 5.17 lakh crore), Naidu said, adding that the government aims to expand horticulture to 25 lakh hectares by 2029.