Eluru Collector K. Vetri Selvi directed officials from Agriculture and allied departments to intensify efforts to meet all the set targets by the end of July, to support the economic development of the district and the State.
Speaking during a video conference meet with the officials on Monday, she reviewed progress on multiple key initiatives, including oil palm plantation, micro-irrigation, Annadata Sukhibhava, CCR cards, e-Crop registration, fertiliser distribution, mango crop procurement, crop insurance, and farm mechanisation.
Ms. Vetri Selvi emphasised the completion of the oil palm plantation across 5,169 hectares identified so far, by the end of July. For the current year, the district has been tasked with bringing 13,000 hectares under oil palm cultivation during both Kharif and Rabi seasons. She instructed officials to implement this plan in a phased manner, and to promote awareness at the grassroots level through Rythu Seva Kendras to encourage new farmers. Special focus must be placed on mandals with lower coverage to meet targets. For areas where plantations are already completed, micro-irrigation systems must be installed promptly, she added.
The Collector said that efforts should be taken to achieve this year’s target of disbursing ₹375 crore in crop loans to tenant farmers, ensuring that no eligible farmer is left out. She also directed that the establishment of food processing units should be expedited and that e-Crop registration be conducted meticulously, as it plays a crucial role in providing compensation for crop loss.
In addition, she called for greater awareness on crop insurance among farmers and ordered timely completion of soil health testing, with health cards to be distributed to farmers by August. District Horticulture Officer S. Rammohan, District Agriculture Officer Habib Basha, and several officials from Agriculture and Horticulture departments across the mandals participated in the meeting.
