AGRICULTURE

ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS OF THE DISTRICT:

As far as Department of Agriculture is concerned, there are 7 Sub Divisions namely T.P.Gudem, Tanuku, Maruteru, Narsapuram, Palakole, Bhimavaram & Akiveedu.

DISTRICT AT A GLANCE

 LAND HOLDINGS:

LAND UTILISATION (2023-24):

SOILS:

The Soils in the district are made up of Alluvial, Black regur and Red ferruginous besides a small belt of erinaceous sandy soils along coastal belt.  There are 6 major types of soils, and the percentage of each soil is furnished below.

Major Crops

• Paddy Crop is the major Crop in this District in both the Seasons.
• During Kharif Season, Sugarcane is the 2^nd major crop. Both Paddy and Sugarcane together contributes around 95% of total cropped area.
• During Rabi Season, crops namely Black Gram and Maize are cultivated under Borewell in Tadepalligudem Mandal.

IRRIGATION SOURCES:

Major portion of area is irrigated by the Godavari canal irrigation system and other remaining area by network of borewells.

MAJOR CROPPING SYSTEMS:

SEED MULTIPLICATION FARMS:

DEPARTMENTAL SCHEMES AND THEIR ACTIVITIES

SUBSIDY SEED DISTRIBUTION:

Green manure seed is distributed under 50% subsidy.

Paddy seed is distributed under subsidy @ Rs.5 per kg.

Pulses seed is distributed under 30% subsidy.

SOIL TESTING PROGRAMME:

To improve soil health and productivity, soil samples are collected, analysed and results are provided to the farmers in form of cards which contains the recommendations regarding the fertilizer dosages to be applied to the crop in the season.

Demos will be organized in that village based on the soil health card recommendations.

FARM MECHANISATION:

Farm implements are distributed under subsidy through SMAM.

SEED VILLAGE PROGRAMME:

To provide quality seed to farmers at village level, programme was organized by supplying foundation seed. Quality seed is estimated to produce, which could be utilized as seed among farmers for next season.

CREDIT TO TENANT FARMERS:

Agriculture department plays active role in sanctioning of loans to the tenant farmers duly co-ordinating with the bankers and revenue department.

CROP INSURANCE:

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

PADDY is notified for coverage.

“VILLAGE WAS MADE AS INSURANCE UNIT” under this scheme.

IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Agricultural Insurance Company Limited.

TARGETS AND ACHEIVEMENTS

Andhra Pradesh Community managed Natural Farming (APCNF)

APCNF scheme is being implemented in 77 Grama panchayaths (GPs) out of total 383 GPs connected, to 97 Rythu Seva Kendras (RSKs) out of total 409 RSKs, and 175 Village organizations (VOs) out of 956 VOs covering all the 20 mandals in the West Godavari District. 197 community cadres from village level to district level are working under the stewardship of the District Agriculture Officer (DAO) who is assisted by a District Project manager (DPM) an officer deputed from the department of Agriculture.

APNCF activities:

Rythu Seva Kendra (RSK) -centric activities in convergence with the Dept of Agriculture (VAAs, MAOs & ADAs)

• Motivating conventional (chemical)farmers to adopt natural farming (NF) practices like practicing multi-plant species Navadanya PMDS (Pre- Monsoon Dry Sowing) green manuring for increasing soil organic matter and organic carbon content in the soil, ghana, Drava jeevamrutham, Panchagavya, Egg amino acid, Biofertilizers, etc. for plant production and different botanical extracts, concoctions, decoctions, and bio fungicides for plant protection.
• Conducting awareness and training programs to farmers at RSKs on natural farming practices and natural farming input preparation methods.
• Participation in RSK level Agriculture Advisory Board (AAB) meetings and educating all AAB members to do natural farming.
• PMDS Navadhanya seed procurement, packing of seeds, and distribution to farmers at RSKs.
• Mass natural farming input preparations at RSKs and distribution to farmers duly making farmers to participate in this activity.
• Participating in Farmer Field Schools (FFS) being conducted by VAA and demonstrating the Preparation of natural farming input and training on natural farming.
• Giving training to farmers on the preparation of Bio cultures (Bio fertilizers and Biopesticides) creating awareness on using these Bio cultures which is very cheap and easiest to be adopted by the natural farming farmers.

Village organization (VO) centric activities in convergence with SERP (SHG leaders, VO animators, CCs, APMs)

• Participating in SHG and VO meetings and educating all SHG women on the implementation of natural farming and natural farming kitchen gardens for getting chemical residue-free food grains and vegetables.
• Making all SHG households to grow backyard or rooftop natural farming kitchen gardens and selling surplus natural farming produce at the village level.
• Making interested and capable SHG farm women establish NPM shops to supply Natural farming inputs,PMDS seed kits, and kitchen garden seed kits to other natural farming farmers and natural farming kitchen garden practitioners.

Raising loans from SHG/VOs for the preparation of PMDS Navadhanya seed kits and Kitchen Garden seed kits and selling to the farmers and SHG women with a reasonable profit.

APCNF STATUS REPORT OF FIRST THREE YEARS AND TARGET FOR 2025-26

APCNF INPUT SHOPS (Non-Pesticidal Management Input shops) :

A total number of 20 NPM  shops were being established @ one in each mandal  in this district by the cadre and farmers  those who are 100% Natural Farming farmers and have been supplying  the ZBNF inputs like Kashayas, Dravanasetc to the fellow farmers and to transforming more number of farmers into the Natural Farming. In addition to this 93 mini NPM shops were also being established at every APCNF project village RSKs where natural farming growth promoters like Egg aminoacid, Biocultures ( Bio fertilizers and Bio pesticides ) are being prepared in large scale by the due participation of farmers and are being supplied to all farmers to drastically reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides in APCNF project villages.

Special initiatives taken up for promotion of ZBNF:

1. Self procurement , packing and distribution of multi plant species PMDS ( Pre Monsoon Dry Sowing ) seed kits to the farmers to sow 3-5 days prior to Rabi paddy harvest as a green manure crop to increase the soil organic carbon.
2. Distributed 15,820 vegetable seed mini kits to poorest of the poor farmers (POP) identified under Kharif Action Plan 20 for taking up APCNF kitchen gardens.
3. All the APCNF cadre have been participating in Polambadis and Polam pilusthundi programs , organizing NF input preparation demonstrations and training all farmers on natural farming.
4. Conducted ADA divisional trainings to all RSK in charges on natural farming in all the & agricultural divisions in the district.
5. APCNF cadre have been participating in Mandal Samaakhya (MS) and Zilla Samaakhya (ZS) meeting every month and imparting training to all ZS and MS OBs on natural farming to achieve large scale adoption of natural farming practices in main field crop paddy and also in backyard kitchen gardens.
6. Established 13 units fish paddy integrated farming in 7 mandals in the district to achieve crop diversification and to increase net income of the farmers.

Action Plan for 2025-26 :

As a part of scaling up of this programme to that extent i.e., converting 60 Lakh farmers in the  state of Andhra Pradesh as Natural Farming farmers, we had conducted Kharif Action Plan during the month of April, 2023 all the villages through the active participation of Self Help Group (SHG) women farmers and Village Organisations (VOs) and enrolled 17,911 (including already practicing 10,781) farmers to do the Natural Farming during Kharif, 2024. During this action plan programme for creating an effective awareness of this Natural Farming and enrollment of more number of farmers we had conducted village level rallies and meetings.

To make available of all the ZBNF inputs to the farmers it is planned to establish one NPM shop per VO (175) covering all the project villages through village organizations (VOs) in addition the existing 113 NPM shops.

ZBNF A CLIMATE RESILIENT REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE:

To mitigate the climate change effect and to restore the Soil Health and Bio-diversity the 365 Days Green Cover with the non-conventional ZBNF methods is the best way. In this direction the District Administration is planning  to cover 25,000 farmers in all the APCNF project villages in an area of 30,000 Acres with Navadhanya( PMDS )seeds sowing(Cereals, Millets, Pulses, Oils seeds and spices) during 2025-26.

Agricultural Department Designations and Phone Numbers of Officers