AP Budget: Rs.14,184 crore for Agriculture

Andhra Pradesh has provided Rs.3000 crore for free power scheme - power subsidy for agriculture in its second agriculture budget after bifurcation.

Agriculture Minister P Pulla Rao presented exclusive Budget for Agriculture and allied sectors with a size of Rs 14,184 crore for 2015-16. The primary sector contributed in absolute terms Rs. 1.29 lakh crore Since 20 @ 27.84 per cent to the gross state domestic product.

Besides the Farm power sector, the allocation for MNREGS allocation was Rs.2707.67 crore with a hike in mandays from 100 to 150 per year .

The exclusive Budget for agriculture had begun in AP in 2012-13, with a view to giving a focused approach to the ailing sector but termed as Policy paper in Agriculture. Some of the challenges the sector faces include flow of institutional credit and salinity in some of the districts.

The recent Centre’s order, calling for putting a full stop to the practice of levy rice procurement from the rice millers is also a challenge the State faces. The main Budget has allocated Rs 4,300 crore for farm loan waiver scheme in a total budget of Rs 1.13 lakh crore.