09-07-2025
Farmers to benefit from free horticultural plantations
Vijayawada: NTR district collector Dr G Lakshmisha on Tuesday urged farmers in the district to leverage the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for free fruit orchard cultivation, highlighting the potential for two to three times higher income from horticultural crops. He encouraged farmers to make the most of these government initiatives.
A mega grounding mela for horticultural crop cultivation was held on Tuesday at Gosaveedu of Gampalagudem mandal, organised by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme – District Water Management Agency (DWMA). Collector Lakshmisha launched the programme by planting mango saplings on 1.15 acres of land belonging to Immadi Nagamani.
Addressing the gathering, Collector Lakshmisha stated that a Maha Yagnam for poverty eradication is underway in the state. He instructed field-level officials and staff, including MPDOs, MGNREGS APOs, Gram Sachivalayam Horticultural Assistants, Agriculture Assistants, and Field Assistants, to play a crucial role in encouraging farmers towards horticultural crop cultivation. He explained that under MGNREGS, farmers receive free saplings and financial assistance for maintenance.
Collector Lakshmisha elaborated on the eligibility for small and marginal farmers (owning less than five acres) to cultivate a variety of horticultural crops, including mango, guava, lemon, sapota, pomegranate, dragon fruit, coconut, oil palm, apple bear, drumstick, jasmine, and rose.
He provided examples of the financial assistance available: for mango cultivation, farmers can receive approximately Rs 1,09,950 per acre in various forms; for guava, around Rs 1,46,971 per acre; and for cultivating 1,600 jasmine plants per acre, nearly Rs 1,85,396 in aid. Pomegranate cultivation offers support of Rs 2,16,417 per acre, while dragon fruit receives Rs 2,00,714 for half-an -acre.
Tiruvuru RDO K Madhuri, DWMA PD A Ramu, Assistant PD Parthasarathi, DWMA District Plantation Manager K Usha, and other officials participated.
