VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu personally handed over two separate letters to Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan during their meeting in Vijayawada on Sunday evening, urging Central intervention for 100 per cent procurement of nine Kharif crops and the sanction of six lakh additional rural houses.
The formal submission followed a field visit earlier in the day to Burripalem, where Union Minister Chouhan and Chief Minister Naidu inspected an organic farm belonging to a local farmer, Janaki Ram. Interacting with the leaders, Janaki Ram demonstrated how adopting natural farming techniques using Beejamrutham and Jeevamrutham slashed his paddy cultivation expenditure from Rs 20,000–Rs 25,000 per acre (under chemical farming) to just Rs 7,000 per acre.
Hailing Andhra Pradesh as the nation’s leader in natural agriculture, Chouhan lauded Naidu’s target to bring 50 lakh acres under chemical-free farming, noting that the model aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to improve soil health and consumer wellness.
Earlier in Burripalem, Chief Minister Naidu also paid floral tributes at the statue of legendary actor Superstar Krishna.
In his letter on agricultural support, Naidu requested advance approval for AP MARKFED to procure the entire estimated yield of nine Kharif-2026 crops under the PM-AASHA scheme — including red gram, green gram, black gram, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, foxtail millet, and groundnut — to shield farmers from distress sales. He also requested that app modifications developed during pilot projects in Krishna and Kakinada districts be integrated into the FFS App for a statewide rollout by the 2026–27 Rabi season.
Citing pending financial clearances, the Chief Minister pointed to Rs 52.164 crore approved under the RKVY Kisan Drone initiative that requires immediate release to finalise setting up custom hiring centres and machinery banks across 1,130 villages. He further highlighted Rs 10.24 crore in pending committed liabilities for 5.69 lakh soil samples, alongside Rs 61.97 lakh in surplus allocations for 2026–27.
In his second representation regarding rural housing, Naidu expressed gratitude for the recent sanction of three lakh homes under PMAY-G and pitched for an additional six lakh units to achieve universal housing coverage by 2029, assuring the Union Minister that State agencies will fast-track construction once approved.
