Amravati, December 25 (IANS). Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu urged the Central Government to set up a Central Agricultural University, Coconut Park, Aqua Lab and Mango Board in the state.
During his meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Thursday, he demanded more cooperation from the Central Government for comprehensive development of agriculture and allied sectors and increasing the income of farmers.
In his memorandum, the Chief Minister said that a Central Agricultural University should be established in the state as per the provision mentioned in Schedule 13 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014. He said that in this regard, a detailed project report (DPR) with an estimated cost of Rs 2,585 crore has been submitted to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education.
The Chief Minister also informed the Union Minister in detail about the steps taken and policies being adopted for the development of agriculture sector and welfare of farmers in the state.
The Chief Minister said that a growth of 10.70 percent has been recorded in agriculture and allied sectors and a five-point plan is being implemented for this.
In the memorandum submitted by the Chief Minister regarding agricultural development in the state, a demand of additional Rs 695 crore has also been made for the expansion of micro irrigation under the PM RKVY-PDMC scheme.
CM Naidu said that subsidy should be provided on transportation of bananas through trains to reduce losses during transportation and increase market access.
For the development of coconut based industries, permission should be given to establish a coconut park at an estimated cost of about Rs 200 crore.
Other demands listed in the memorandum include support for sericulture sheds under the ‘Vikas Bharat-Ji Ram Ji’ scheme, priority to scientific research in natural farming, release of funds under PM-Pranam and approval of 10,000 natural farming clusters for 2026-27 under NMNF.
Chief Minister Naidu said the Central Government should bear the cost of maintenance of the 5,000 clusters sanctioned in 2025-26. There are 40 lakh farmers practicing natural farming across the state, so an additional 20,000 clusters should be allotted in the next five years.
He also demanded the Central Government to declare Andhra Pradesh as a National Resource State for natural farming.
He further said that state-of-the-art aquatic laboratories should be established in Vijayawada and Amravati. Funds should also be made available for the development works of Pulicat Lake.
–IANS
MS/DKP