Vijayawada: Agriculture minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu met Union Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi on Tuesday seeking resolution of problems being faced by farmers in Andhra Pradesh. He specifically highlighted the challenges faced by mango farmers, particularly due to the decline in prices of Totapuri variety.Atchannaidu explained to the union minister that the price of Totapuri mango has dropped to Rs 8 per kg. It is imperative that the central government provide support to safeguard the interests of farmers. He suggested that Rs 12 be offered as the minimum support price under the deficit payment scheme. This could entail procurement of approximately 6.5 lakh metric tonnes of Totapuri mangoes from AP. In this regard, the AP agriculture minister said the state government plans to allocate Rs 260 crore for the initiative and requested additional support from the central government. He advocated for increased subsidies for micro-irrigation schemes designed to support farmers in backward districts. He requested the central government to extend additional assistance to Andhra Pradesh, similar to that provided to Bundelkhand. Atchannaidu called for establishment of specialised boards for agricultural products, including a Chili Board in Guntur, a Cashew Board in Srikakulam and a Mango Board in Chittoor, for better management of the agricultural produce. He requested the Union Minister to set up a Central Agricultural University in Srikakulam in accordance with the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act. It is said Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured Atchannaidu that the central government would consider his requests positively. Others present at the meeting included Union Civil Aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and MLA G. Shankar.
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