Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced plans to transform the Rayalaseema region of the state into a global fruit bowl by developing it as a world-class horticulture hub.
The chief minister directed officials to transform the drought-prone Rayalaseema region into a global centre for horticultural crops. On October 2, the southern state will launch an integrated horticulture hub programme at Madanapalle in Annamayya district, where the foundation stone will also be laid for the Indian School of Agriculture. The CM said the Rayalaseema Integrated Horticulture Hub would be developed across 10 districts, including the erstwhile Prakasam district through 201 clusters.
“Naidu announced plans to transform Rayalaseema into a global fruit bowl by developing it as a world-class horticulture hub,” an official release said late on Thursday. Naidu said the objective was to create a horticulture ecosystem capable of taking Andhra Pradesh’s horticultural produce to international markets.
Reviewing the proposed horticulture hub, he said development works involving nearly ₹ 1 lakh crore would be taken up under a public-private partnership model. Of this, the government would invest ₹ 40,000 crore and the private sector ₹ 60,000 crore, the release said.
Recalling the severe drought and rainfall deficiency that had affected Rayalaseema in the past, Naidu said several initiatives have now created a more favourable environment for agriculture.
