CM Naidu Unveils Development Plan for Betel Nut Farmers in Andhra Pradesh

Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has pledged to transform the constituency into a hub of industrial activity, focusing on making betel nut and sericulture crops commercially viable. By establishing industries and processing plants, Naidu aims to ensure market facilities and remunerative prices for farmers.

During his visit, Naidu urged betel nut farmers to form a collective and establish a Farmers Producers Organization (FPO). He highlighted that the Central government provides funds and training programs to support such cooperatives, which could facilitate the creation of farmers’ clusters and the establishment of processing plants.

Betel nut farmer Tippe Swamy informed the Chief Minister that over 20,000 betel nut farmers currently send their crops to Karnataka for processing, which incurs high costs. The crop has a long gestation period of 6-10 years before yielding commercial profits, with potential earnings of Rs 2 lakh per acre. Farmers also requested the revival of the 90 percent drip subsidy, discontinued by the YSRCP government.

Naidu announced the sanctioning of a Rs 60 crore ring road project to enhance rural infrastructure. Notably, his visit saw genuine public participation without forced crowd mobilization or bus rentals, contrasting with previous practices under the YSRCP regime.

Earlier, Naidu visited a mulberry plantation and participated in door-to-door pension distribution in Gundumala village, Madakasira mandal. He interacted with local families and addressed the villagers, reflecting on the hardships experienced under Jagan Mohan Reddy’s rule and advising against repeating the mistake of supporting the YSRCP.

Naidu also detailed the pension schemes implemented by his government, which have significantly increased benefits. Pensions for handicapped individuals were raised from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000, for leprosy patients to Rs 6,000, for kidney patients to Rs 10,000, for bed-ridden patients to Rs 15,000, for ex-servicemen to Rs 5,000, and for the elderly to Rs 4,000 per month. Despite financial constraints, the TDP government manages to allocate Rs 33,000 crore annually for these pensions, unlike the YSRCP, which Naidu criticized for mismanaging funds on various projects.