Date Palm Cultivation To Be Encouraged In AP, Says Atchannaidu
Vijayawada: Agriculture minister K Atchannaidu has said date palm cultivation will be encourages in Andhra Pradesh.
Date palm farmers from Rayalaseema met the minister and listed their problems at his chamber in the Secretariat on Friday. Atchannaidu directed officials to take appropriate steps to promote date palm cultivation. Rayalaseema districts have 700 acres of date palm crops.
Besides reducing the cost burden, the farmers requested the minister to implement drip irrigation for their farms on a subsidized basis.
The minister said steps would be taken immediately to promote date palm cultivation via the rural employment guarantee scheme and “drip irrigation will be provided on subsidy.” Farmers must follow the instructions of the horticulture department in terms of the plant’s quality monitoring.