Seeds Corporation to Distribute Subsidised Groundnut Seed

From the second week of May, the A.P. Seeds Corporation is preparing to distribute subsidised groundnut seed in the Anantapur and Kurnool districts, and has prepared some stock for the purpose. On April 26, the tenders for seed supply to the corporation were finalised.

However, the price has yet to be revealed by the state government. The entire amount of seed subsidy per kg will be announced soon, however for those with more than two acres of land, the per-farmer limit has been set at 90 kg (three bags of 30 kg each). Those with two acres of land will receive two bags, while those with one acre will receive one bag.

Kadiri-6 (K-6) Variety

The seed variety Kadiri-6 (K-6) is now available at the corporation. This variety was first notified and distributed in 2005, and was then re-notified for another five years in 2015.

Kadiri-Lepakshi, a new and improved version that was notified and launched in 2020, has yet to be distributed to farmers under the subsidy scheme.

In Kurnool, 1,500 quintals of K-6 seed are ready, while in Anantapur, 30,000 quintals are ready. "Another 70,000 quintals is being processed for packaging," T. Srinivasulu and J. Dhanalakshmi, the corporation's district managers, told The Hindu.

The government would distribute the maximum amount of the K-6 variety through Rythu Bharosa Kendras at the village secretariat level.

In Andhra Pradesh, groundnut sowing has been progressively decreasing. Only 2.45 lakh quintals were purchased by farmers in Anantapur district during the past Kharif, out of 2.90 lakh quintals allowed for sale to 3.17 lakh farmers with a 40% subsidy at Rs 5,208 per quintal. Only 23,000 quintals out of 47,000 were purchased in the Kurnool district.

Anantapur district has been granted 1.10 lakh quintals, while Sri Sathya Sai district has been allocated 1.35 lakh quintals, based on last year's demand. In Anantapur district, the total area seeded has decreased from 7 lakh hectares to 4 lakh hectares.