VIJAYAWADA: Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu announced in the Legislative Council on Thursday that the coalition government is firmly committed to assisting farmers affected by natural calamities. He said that whenever disasters occur, the government provides relief in the form of input subsidies.
The minister highlighted that until 2014, farmers received Rs 12,000 per hectare as a subsidy for crops like cotton, groundnut, paddy, and sugarcane. After the TDP government came to power, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu increased the amount to Rs 17,000 per hectare.
However, during the YSRCP regime, the subsidy was reduced back to Rs 12,000.
Following the coalition’s formation in 2024, the government raised compensation to Rs 25,000 per hectare, particularly during the Budameru floods, and disbursed Rs 370 crore within a week of the survey.
Atchannaidu stressed that for the first time in State history, tenant farmers also received compensation. He added that in recent cyclones, the government promptly released relief funds amounting to Rs 25 crore, Rs 34 crore, and Rs 310 crore. Regarding the recent Montha cyclone, he said surveys were completed, and compensation would be distributed once Central funds are released.
On crop insurance, the minister criticised the previous government’s policies, which left farmers in difficulty.
He noted that the coalition has revived the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in partnership with the Centre, ensuring farmers are covered again.
Addressing concerns over Araku coffee plantations, Agriculture Minister Atchannaidu clarified that the coffee berry borer disease was detected only in limited areas. Immediate measures were taken, including destroying infected produce and compensating affected farmers with subsidies worth Rs 7.23 lakh.