Every Cyclone-Hit Farmer Will Get Maximum Support, Union Minister Assures Andhra Pradesh
Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar has said the Union government will extend the maximum possible assistance to every farmer who suffered crop losses in the cyclones that struck Andhra Pradesh.
The Minister inspected affected agricultural fields in Kollipara mandal along with MLC Alapati Rajendra Prasad. He said paddy, black gram and cotton crops had suffered extensive damage in the two cyclones, named 'Arnab' and 'Murasu'.
Mr. Chandra Sekhar noted that farmers had recorded yields of nearly 50 bags per acre this year, supported by irrigation water supplied through the Pattiseema project, even as El Niño-induced drought conditions prevailed in the region.
On the relief already available, the Minister said the government was providing ₹20,000 under the Annadata Sukhibhava-PM Kisan scheme. An additional input subsidy would be extended after the crop losses are assessed, he said. He did not specify the amount of the input subsidy or a timeline for its disbursal.
He informed that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking Central assistance for the affected farmers, and assured them that he would pursue the matter at the Central government level.
Mr. Chandra Sekhar directed officials to complete the crop-loss enumeration within 48 to 72 hours, without leaving out any affected farmer, despite their engagement in election duties.
Appealing to landowners to ensure that the input subsidy reached tenant farmers, the Minister said their financial stability was essential for sustaining agriculture. He also urged farmers to enrol themselves in crop insurance schemes for protection against natural calamities.
He said scientists from the Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University had been assigned seven to eight villages each, and should visit fields regularly to guide farmers on crop protection and disaster management.
The assurances come amid a wider pattern of recurring cyclone damage along Andhra Pradesh's coast, where paddy, pulses and cotton are widely cultivated in the delta districts. Tenant farmers, who cultivate land without holding formal title, are often at risk of missing out on compensation that is routed through landowners — a gap the Minister's appeal sought to address.
Officials have repeatedly flagged low enrolment under crop insurance in the State, which means many cultivators absorb losses directly when crops fail. The enumeration exercise is expected to determine how many farmers receive the input subsidy and on what basis the losses are calculated.
The Union Minister did not announce a separate package for the current cyclone season, and details of the Central assistance sought by the Chief Minister are yet to be made public.
