The prices were at their highest in October 2009 when floods caused heavy damage to crops in Kurnool and Mahbubnagar districts. Crops worth about Rs 400 crore were damaged. The government has asked the horticulture department to increase vegetable production in the state.
Commissioner of the horticulture department, Ms G. Jaya Lakshmi, and the joint commissioner, Mr M. Veerabrahmaiah, and other officials toured the state extensively and asked farmers not to export vegetables to other states.
Farmers in Adilabad district who export tomatoes to Nagpur were assured that remunerative prices will be paid in Andhra Pradesh itself.
The department distributed Rs 23 crore worth of seeds to farmers to bring 50,000 hectares of additional land under cultivation.
“At present, 48 lakh metric tonnes of vegetables are produced every year on three lakh hectares of land. This will go up to 60 lakh tonnes by the end of this year,” said Mr L.Venkata Ram Reddy, deputy director of horticulture department (vegetables).
To ensure a better deal for farmers the department will provide cold storage facilities. Farmers sell their products at throwaway prices to middlemen because they cannot store the produce.
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