The A.P. Seeds Corporation is gearing for distribution of groundnut seed at a subsidy in Anantapur and Kurnool districts from May second week and has readied some stock for the purpose.
The tenders for supply of the seed to the corporation was finalised on April 26.
However, The State government has not announced the price so far. The total quantum of subsidy per kg of seed will be announced soon, but the per-farmer limit has been fixed at 90 kg (three bags of 30 kg each) for those having more than two acres of land. Two bags will be given for those having two acres and one bag for those having one acre of land.
K-6 variety
At present, the corporation has Kadiri-6 (K-6) variety of the seed. This variety was initially notified and released in 2005 and re-notified in 2015 for five years.
The new and better variant, Kadiri-Lepakshi, which was notified and released in 2020, has not yet been supplied to the farmers under the subsidy scheme.
Kurnool district has 1,500 quintals of K-6 seed ready while Anantapur has 30,000 quintals ready. “Another 70,000 quintals is being processed for packaging,” district managers of the corporation T. Srinivasulu and J. Dhanalakshmi told The Hindu.
Maximum quantity of the K-6 variety will be distributed by the government through the Rythu Bharosa Kendras at the village secretariat level.
The sowing of groundnut has been reducing gradually in Andhra Pradesh. Out of 2.90 lakh quintals allotted for sale to 3.17 lakh farmers with 40% subsidy at ₹5,208 per quintal in Anantapur district during last Kharif, only 2.45 lakh quintals was purchased by the farmers. In Kurnool district, out of 47,000 quintals only 23,000 quintals was purchased.
Based on the last year’s demand, Anantapur district has been allocated 1.10 lakh quintals and Sri Sathya Sai district 1.35 lakh quintals. The total area sown is four lakh hectares in Anantapur district, down from seven lakh hectares.
