Jagan attacks Rs 1Lakh cr horticulture investment claim

Amaravati: YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of making exaggerated claims about the proposed Rs 1 lakh-crore horticulture investment while failing to address the immediate problems confronting farmers in drought-hit Rayalaseema.

In a post on X, Jagan questioned the government’s claim of attracting Rs 1 lakh crore in horticulture investment to Rayalaseema and alleged that there was neither a budgetary allocation nor any expenditure towards the proposed investment so far. “Your claims of investing Rs 1 lakh crore in Rayalaseema’s horticulture—what are they if not theatrics and a game of numbers?” he asked, alleging that the government was misleading farmers on a large scale.

Jagan said the government’s record over the past two-and-a-half years showed that its concern for farmers was confined largely to announcements and publicity. He questioned whether the government had responded adequately when horticulture and other crop growers, facing poor prices, took to the streets in protest.

He also alleged that the government had weakened the Price Stabilisation Fund, scrapped free crop insurance and discontinued the zero-interest loan scheme introduced during the previous YSRCP government. The delay in providing input subsidies had further added to farmers’ difficulties, he claimed. Turning to the drought situation in Rayalaseema, Jagan said horticulture crops spread over thousands of acres were drying up because of severe water scarcity.

He questioned the government’s projection of Naidu as a “Water Man” while farmers were struggling to protect their orchards. Jagan alleged that the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project remained stalled and that the government had failed to revive it. He further claimed that nearly seven to eight lakh borewells in Rayalaseema had dried up, leaving farmers dependent on private water tankers.

According to him, farmers were spending between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 on each tanker of water merely to keep their horticulture trees alive. He alleged that the government had failed to respond to the crisis despite the mounting difficulties faced by farmers.

Jagan also linked the drought situation to the wider agrarian distress in the State, alleging that Rayalaseema and other regions were witnessing an increase in farmer suicides.

He criticised the proposed horticulture hub against this backdrop and asked the government to focus on immediate drought-relief measures rather than making large investment announcements.

“Forget the talk of a horticulture hub. Rayalaseema, along with the rest of the State, is becoming a hotspot for farmer suicides,” Jagan said, calling upon Naidu to stop what he described as “theatrics and grandstanding” and initiate drought-relief measures and provide immediate assistance to farmers.

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