Montha Cyclone relief awaiting Centre’s funds: Atchanna
Vijayawada: Agriculture minister K Atchannaidu informed the Legislative Council that compensation for farmers affected by the recent Montha cyclone would be released soon after the Central government releases its share of funds.
Replying to questions raised by YSRCP members Thota Trimurthulu, P Ravindra Babu, Dr M Arunkumar and others on Thursday, the minister said the government had already completed the survey of crop losses caused by the cyclone. He assured that the State government would extend compensation to eligible farmers at the earliest.
Atchannaidu said the coalition government is firmly committed to supporting farmers affected by natural calamities and ensuring timely relief through input subsidies and other assistance. He added that the government had promptly responded to damages caused by recent cyclones and floods and already disbursed compensation of about Rs 25 crore, Rs 34 crore and Rs 310 crore in different phases.
The minister said agricultural department officials conduct field-level assessments immediately after disasters and complete crop loss surveys within a week. Based on these reports, compensation is provided to eligible farmers as per government norms, he added.
He said the input subsidy, which was Rs.12,000 per hectare until 2014, was increased to Rs 17,000 by the TDP government but later reduced to Rs 12,000 by the previous YSRCP regime. After the coalition government took office in 2024, it was enhanced to Rs 25,000 per hectare, and nearly Rs 370 crore was disbursed to Budameru flood-affected farmers, including tenant farmers.
The minister said the crop insurance system faced difficulties during the previous government’s tenure due to policy changes. He alleged that the YSRCP government failed to pay about Rs 2,000 crore as its share under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), preventing the portal from being opened. After the coalition government came to power, a sub-committee of ministers restored the system, and the scheme is now being implemented jointly by the State and Central governments. Speaking about coffee plantations in the Araku region, Atchannaidu said the Coffee Berry Borer pest was detected only in about 60.8 hectares out of 1.03 lakh hectares under cultivation. The government immediately launched control measures with the support of scientists and officials, destroying 20,617 kg of infected coffee berries from 152 acres. He added that Rs 7.23 lakh was sanctioned as input subsidy to 81 affected farmers and assured steps to protect the Araku coffee brand.
