Fruit orchards to be cultivated in 6,000 acres in FY 26

Kurnool: As part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Andhra Pradesh government has set a target to develop fruit plantations across one lakh acres in the fields of small and marginal farmers.

In line with this, Kurnool district has set a target to cultivate fruit orchards in 6,000 acres during the 2025-26 financial year. On Tuesday, Kurnool District Collector P Ranjith Basha, along with Kodumur MLA Boggula Dastagiri and TDP district president P Tikka Reddy formally launched the plantation drive by planting saplings in the field of a farmer named Khaseem at Rudravaram village in Kurnool mandal. Speaking on the occasion, Collector Basha stated that horticulture crops yield higher returns than traditional crops, hence the State government was encouraging farmers with landholdings between 0.25 to 5 acres to shift toward horticulture. Under MGNREGS, funds are being allocated not only for saplings but also for fertilisers, maintenance, and other cultivation expenses based on the type of fruit crops planted. The Collector further informed that the district administration has already initiated plantation works in 1,000 acres on the first day of the drive.

During the event, the Collector interacted with the local farmer Khaseem to learn about his landholding and previous cropping practices. Kodumur MLA Dastagiri urged farmers to take full advantage of the fruit plantation initiative and requested the Collector to allocate government land for a crematorium in Rudravaram.

Responding positively, the Collector directed the Kurnool RDO to initiate steps to identify suitable land immediately. Officials including Kurnool RDO Sandeep Kumar, DWMA PD Venkataramanayya, APD Padmavati, Kurnool Rural tahsildar Ramesh and MPDO Raghunath participated in the programme.