Andhra Pradesh would see a decline in paddy production by one million tonne during the rabi season as against 5.9 million tonne last year, according to state agriculture minister N Raghuveera Reddy.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the minister said red gram acreage had gone up significantly to 107,000 hectare as many farmers went in for red gram.
The government has set a target to distribute 1.1 million quintal seed, of which farmers have already used 650,000 quintal. The target for bank loans for rabi was put at Rs 9,400 crore but banks could disburse only Rs 2,000 crore, he said.
The state has, meanwhile, decided to bring coriander under the weather-based crop insurance scheme in the rabi season in Adilabad, Kadapa and Kurnool. It had earlier introduced crop insurance for black gram in Guntur during the kharif season.
Reddy said the government was also working on a model to connect farmers developing seed with those buying it through agencies like Markfed to avoid middlemen.
On the pending disbursal of insurance claims worth Rs 800 crore for the year 2008, he said the state government had released Rs 361 crore and the Centre was yet to release its share. About 750,000 farmers would benefit through this scheme by the year-end.
