AP Minister urges farmers to switch to horticulture crops for more profits

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh’s Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu appealed to farmers that the time has come to switch to horticulture crops for better profits. He went on to say that the state government is set to revive subsidy schemes so that farmers can grow horticulture crops without investing much money. Speaking in the Assembly, Atchannaidu said Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav has allocated sufficient funds to the horticulture department in the budget because he knows the hardships faced by Rayalaseema farmers.

He asked farmers to think twice before harvesting cost-intensive and low-revenue crops; instead, they should avail themselves of the subsidies announced by the government for horticulture crops.

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The land of the state is suitable for the farming of oil palm and cocoa crops, and these crops fetch better income, as the Centre has initiated a viability gap payment scheme for oil palm farmers where the minimum support price has been fixed at Rs 17,877 per quintal,” Atchannaidu said.

However, Andhra Pradesh has not yet joined the scheme, as the current market price for oil palm is around Rs 20,000 per quintal. “We will seek the Centre’s support if prices fall below the MSP,” Atchannaidu said. The minister further added that farmers can purchase drip irrigation and sprinkler systems because the state government is ready to provide a 90% subsidy.

The Andhra government is ready to encourage farmers so that they can switch to horticulture crops instead of traditional farming for higher incomes and sustainable growth in the agriculture sector.