To be made horticulture hub, Horticulture Conclave to be annual feature

Anantapur Horticulture Conclave will be a regular annual event, positioning Anantapur as the “Fruit Bowl of India”  Payyavula Keshav AP Finance Minister 

■ Gross Value Addition for Horticulture in Anantapur to be taken to 25% from the current 9%

■ 7 MoUs signed

■ Increase horticultural cultivation in the region by 25,000 hectares as part of the Swarna Andhra initiative

■ Anantapur Horticulture Conclave to be a regular Annual Event

■ End to End solutions from Nursery to Marketing to be the strategy: Payyavula

Metro India News | ANANTAPUR

Anantapur has been in the news for horticulture productivity and has the eco-system to be promoted as a horticulture hub. AP Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav during the first Anantapur Horticulture Conclave said that the government is committed to make Anantapur the ‘Horticulture Hub of the state’, with plans to increase the district’s contribution to the state’s Gross Value Addition (GVA) to 25% by 2027. 

He highlighted the district’s recent success in exporting over 1 lakh tonnes of bananas to Iran. Keshav also announced that the Anantapur Horticulture Conclave will be a regular annual event, positioning Anantapur as the “Fruit Bowl of India”.

During the conclave, seven MoUs were signed with companies working to improve horticulture productivity. These partnerships aim to enhance pre-harvest, production, and post-harvest stages, helping to create a comprehensive end-to-end solution for horticulture. Companies such as Micro Algae Solutions, Siddhartha Cold Storage, and Kousuri Bajaj Agro were among those involved. The Finance Minister stressed the importance of improving logistics, cold chain infrastructure, and farmer support systems to help realize this vision.

The government also plans to widen the Handri-Neeva Canal, with the aim of completing the project within the next 12 months to provide irrigation to more cultivable lands. This move is expected to significantly boost agricultural productivity in the region, which will support the development of the horticulture sector.

In addition to these announcements, AP Special Chief Secretary for Agriculture and Horticulture, B. Rajasekhar, emphasized that while challenges remain, the government is determined to position Anantapur as a global leader in horticulture. He pointed out that Anantapur’s banana yield is already close to the world’s best, and further improvements in product quality, packaging, and supply chain management will help reduce post-harvest losses, which currently stand at 15-20%.

The conclave also saw the recognition of 11 institutions and individuals for their contributions to the sector. Notable awardees included Simhadri Raghavendra and Y.V. Malla Reddy, as well as farmers excelling in mangoes, sweet oranges, chillies, and bananas. The government aims to increase horticultural cultivation in the region by 25,000 hectares as part of the Swarna Andhra initiative.