Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured farmers in flood-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh that both the Centre and the state government would provide all necessary assistance. During his visit to Kesarapalli in the Krishna district, Chouhan inspected the damage caused by floods and interacted with affected farmers. However, Chouhan criticized the previous government for failing to implement the Centre's agricultural schemes.
"Today, I visited the farmlands of our farmer brothers in Krishna district and saw the complete devastation caused by the floods. There is 100 percent crop loss; not only paddy but banana, turmeric, and other vegetables have been severely affected," Chouhan stated. He promised that the Centre would extend full support to the state government to aid the farmers, including an allocation of Rs 3,448 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for immediate relief. The minister also highlighted plans to provide seeds and fertilizers to farmers for the next crop cycle.
Criticising the previous YSRCP government, Shivraj Singh said, "The earlier government did not implement Centre's schemes for farmers, but we will ensure that these are implemented in the state now."
Chouhan toured several agriculture fields to assess the extent of damage and interacted with farmers who showed him the ruined paddy crops. He was briefed by state leaders and Agriculture Department officials about the scale of the destruction caused by the heavy rains and floods.
With the assistance of state BJP chief Daggubati Purandeswari, Chouhan enquired from farmers about their cultivated land, investments made, production levels, and profits generated per season. The minister reitrated the government's commitment to helping farmers recover from the disaster and assured them that the Centre would work closely with the state to mitigate their losses.
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