Input subsidy proposals for Rs.141 cr sent to Centre: Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy

Nellore: Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said that they had sent proposals to the Centre for Rs. 141.35 crore of input subsidy to the farmers during 2018 in all 8 drought-hit districts in the state. He interacted with the media here on Saturday and said they would deposit Rs. 7,500 crore of farmers’ loan waiver along with 10 per cent interest by the end of this December.

The minister  also informed that they had chalked out an action plan to distribute 83,378 quintals of seeds to the farmers in drought-hit areas to cultivate alternative crops during this season. Seven districts in the state have received normal rainfall and eight have received deficit rainfall this year, he said. “State government had announced 275 mandals as drought-hit   areas in the state initially. It further announced 21 mandals in Prakasam and in Chittoor districts as drought hit. Now the total drought-hit mandals in the state are 296,’’ said the Minister.

The situation is somewhat better due to inflows to Pulichintala project after Tungabhadra, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs reached to the Full Reservoir Level. The state government had released Rs.147.63 crore to take steps in the drought hit mandals. There has been 49 per cent of deficit rainfall in the drought hit prone districts,’ said Chandramohan Reddy. AP government stands first in providing input subsidy to the farmers across the country. 

Government had settled dues of Rs.399.36 crore of crop insurance during 2017-18 to the farmers and Rs.819.20 crore during 2016-17, said the Minister. “Bu using rain guns and sprinklers, we had saved crops in 18,708 hectares which were facing  drought conditions. Farmers in the state have been cultivating horticulture crops in around 42 lakh acres and state government had set its target to increase the area up to 1 crore acres,’ he added.