The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has unveiled its annual agriculture credit plan for Andhra Pradesh, which includes a 10% increase for 2022-23. The bank has proposed agriculture credit of Rs.1.71lakh crore.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy launched NABARD's focus paper for Andhra Pradesh at its annual credit seminar in Tadepalli. The chief minister told NABARD authorities that the government has launched several initiatives to improve the farming industry.
The approach of the government towards agriculture is in the form of ease of doing farming (EoDF), according to the chief minister, who listed initiatives such as the Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), cold storages, stock points, supply of seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers, supply of agriculture tools to farmers on rent, and purchase of agriculture produce from the farmers' doorstep.
The chief minister asked the bank to lend a helping hand to the farmers to make them feel proud of their work. He said farmers are feeding the nation and appealed to the bank to be liberal in lending as well as recovery.
The chief minister also informed officials that the government is coming up with a programme to boost millet farming.
The government is working on a millet promotion and organic policy, and wanted the banks to back it up. He emphasized the need of lowering agricultural costs and increasing farmer revenue.
The chief minister also introduced the government's Nadu-Nedu initiative in schools and sought financial assistance from NABARD. "If schools are improved, then technological implementation in the agriculture sector may be enhanced. All schools are being converted to English-medium. The textbooks are in dual languages for ease of studies. If the quality of education is improved, then these students will possess a certain skill set to implement the technology that is being incorporated into the agricultural sector. This will make them part of the sustainable approach and thus make them self-sufficient," Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
Dr. G R Chintala, chairman of NABARD, who was present at the meeting, praised the government's initiatives in agriculture, health, and education. He said that Andhra Pradesh was outperforming other states in terms of agricultural revenue development.
