Rayalaseema horticulture area targeted to reach 14.41 lakh hectares by 2030
Andhra Pradesh BJP leader Nagothu Ramesh Naidu says Rayalaseema’s horticulture area is targeted to expand from 8.4 lakh hectares to 14.41 lakh hectares by 2030. He cited planned irrigation, processing and market infrastructure, alongside proposed central assistance and private investment, as drivers of the expansion.
The area under horticultural cultivation in Andhra Pradesh’s Rayalaseema region is projected to increase from 8.4 lakh hectares to 14.41 lakh hectares by 2030, BJP State general secretary Nagothu Ramesh Naidu said on Wednesday. Speaking to the media in Vijayawada, Mr Ramesh Naidu said Rayalaseema should not be defined only by drought. He said the region had resources and land suitable for horticulture, with crops such as banana, papaya and pomegranate capable of being grown with limited water through drip irrigation.
He said inauguration and foundation-laying events linked to a horticulture hub would take place in Madanapalle on October 2. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K.
Pawan Kalyan and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were expected to participate, he said. Mr Ramesh Naidu said proposals involved central assistance of about ₹40,352 crore and private-sector investment of around ₹59,000 crore. He said the government was focusing on horticultural infrastructure and minor irrigation projects, with processing and value-added industries intended to improve returns for farmers and create local employment.
He called for better global market access for Madanapalle tomato, tamarind, banana and sweet orange. Processing, storage and marketing facilities, he said, needed to be strengthened to reduce price crashes during peak production periods. The stated target is to raise horticultural production to 435 lakh tonnes by 2030.
Mr Ramesh Naidu also identified transport, railway connectivity and digital marketing as areas requiring improvement to move and sell produce more efficiently. He criticised the previous government over alleged reductions in subsidies for drip irrigation and farm equipment, and said decisions under GO 365 had adversely affected irrigation projects. The coalition government, he said, was working to complete irrigation projects and reduce the effects of drought.
He also referred to surveys for rebuilding the Annamayya project and preventing future flood damage, and said Krishna water availability in Badvel had improved with the Veligonda project.
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