Rayalaseema’s proposed horticulture hub aims to curb harvest-time losses
Farmers in Rayalaseema often lose money when bumper tomato and mango harvests overwhelm markets, according to The Hindu. A proposed ₹1-lakh-crore horticulture hub would add storage, grading, processing and market links, but growers and industry representatives say implementation must prioritise their immediate problems.
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Rayalaseema region say abundant harvests can be more damaging to their incomes than drought because weak storage and marketing systems force them into distress sales. The Hindu reported that 13,000 tonnes of tomatoes reached markets in one day in July, sending prices down to ₹14.70 a kilogram. Lower grades fetched between ₹8 and ₹10, while growers reportedly received only about ₹3 after accounting for crates and transport.
Tomato farmers in Annamayya and Anantapur districts sold produce for ₹4 a kilogram during the 2025 kharif season, against production costs of ₹6. Mango growers faced similar difficulties. Totapuri farmers in Chittoor experienced rain damage and a bumper crop in 2025, while an announced minimum support price and subsidy reportedly did not reach the market yard.
Horticulture officials identified water, marketing and logistics as the principal problems. The region is largely rain-fed, groundwater levels are falling, and irrigation infrastructure remains uneven. Farmers also converge on markets without advance buyers, reliable grading systems or sufficiently strong farmer producer organisations.
Perishable crops leave little room for delay. Tomatoes have a reported market window of about two days and mangoes roughly 10 days. The region lacks enough cold storage facilities and pack houses, leaving farmers vulnerable when transport fails or yards become overcrowded.
A proposed Rayalaseema Integrated Horticulture Hub, valued at ₹1 lakh crore, is intended to address these weaknesses. Its foundation stone is scheduled to be laid at Madanapalle on October 2 by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The plan covers 201 clusters in 10 districts, with proposed funding of ₹40,000 crore from the Centre and ₹60,000 crore in private investment. Collection centres, grading, cold storage and market links are envisaged. Farmers and processors said the project should also support processing, exports and stronger direct links with buyers.
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