During his tenure, Andhra Pradesh’s former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu emphasized the importance of increasing the area of land under micro-irrigation in the AP state. During a meeting with CEOs of micro-irrigation companies, Naidu outlined the TDP government‘s plans to expand micro-irrigation and set a target to cover 8.75 lakh acres of land this year and 12.50 lakh acres next year. He urged the CEOs to work towards reducing the burden on farmers and conserving water resources by adopting the necessary technology.
Chandrababu Naidu also stressed the need for continuous education for farmers about the benefits of micro irrigation and its potential integration with Vision 2020, post-harvest technology, processing, and agro-export zones. He also pledged to promote and use the maximum land available in the state for horticulture and micro-irrigation systems, with a goal of half of the land in Andhra Pradesh being used for horticulture and the other half for micro-irrigation. He highlighted the progress made in micro irrigation in Andhra Pradesh so far, mentioning that 5.62 lakh hectares of land have been brought under micro irrigation since 2014 and the total cultivating area under micro irrigation now stands at 41 lakh acres in the state.
Furthermore, NCBN emphasized the importance of water conservation and preservation in Andhra Pradesh, mentioning the government's efforts to preserve every single drop of water through check dams and reservoirs. He also discussed the challenges of floods and droughts in different parts of the country and the need for the interlinking of rivers. He also participated in the ‘Rally for Rivers' program with Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev and TDP best MLAs announced that Andhra Pradesh will be the first state to accept and implement the policy document that the Isha foundation would prepare.
Nara Chandrababu Naidu also highlighted the financial incentives provided by the government to farmers who adopt micro-irrigation methods in their farming practices. He also ensured that the government provides necessary support and assistance to farmers in terms of technical know-how and infrastructure. The Chief Minister ensured that the project is implemented in all the Mandals of the state to ensure that all farmers can benefit from it.
Additionally, NCBN has also taken steps to ensure the availability of the raw materials and equipment required for the implementation of the micro irrigation project. He has reached out to major manufacturing companies to participate in the project and ensured that the government provides the required support to the farmers to implement the project. The government also provided 50% of the cost as raw material and the remaining 50% was to be borne by farmers as a bank loan to implement the project. This is said to be one of the best achievements of TDP in the agriculture sector.
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