Naidu, Sitharaman launch Rayalaseema horticulture hub; Anant Ambani pledges ₹1 lakh crore for biogas in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday, October 2, 2026, unveiled the ₹1-lakh-crore “Global Horticulture Hub – Rayalaseema Rising” project in Madanapalle, promising a comprehensive package of irrigation, technology, processing and export support aimed at transforming the drought-prone region into a global fruit hub. “It’s a journey from a drought-prone region known for migration and water scarcity to a potential global fruit bowl,” he said at a public gathering.

Foundation for a horticulture hub and a new agri institution

Mr. Naidu, joined by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, laid the foundation stones for the Global Horticulture Hub and for the Indian School of Agriculture (ISA), an institution that Reliance Industries will help set up and run. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ms. Sitharaman for the Centre’s support, the Chief Minister said, “October 2, 2026, will go down in the history of Rayalaseema. The step we are taking today will change the destiny of farmers in the region.”

Ms. Sitharaman, who addressed the gathering in Telugu, said the initiatives were intended to turn Rayalaseema into “Ratnala Seema,” or a land of gems and prosperity. Her office also highlighted the significance of the launch date, coinciding with the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Scale, funding and phased rollout

According to the Chief Minister, the ₹1-lakh-crore project will be financed through ₹40,000 crore in government support and ₹60,000 crore in private investment. The hub will be implemented in three phases, covering 5,860 villages organised into 201 clusters across 10 districts, including the erstwhile Prakasam district, and bringing an additional six lakh acres under horticulture.

An official release said the project aims to raise horticultural production from 222 lakh tonnes to 435 lakh tonnes, directly benefiting 9.6 lakh farmers. “Now, the sector is contributing ₹1.5 lakh crore in gross value added. The new hub will add another ₹1 lakh crore. Rayalaseema is set to become the fruit bowl of the world,” Mr. Naidu said.

‘Seed-to-shipment’ ecosystem and crop diversification

The initiative will promote a wide range of high-value crops, including apples, strawberries, bananas, avocado, kiwi and dates. Mr. Naidu said the State would build a “seed-to-shipment” ecosystem—integrating food processing, agri-tech, logistics and export infrastructure—to help ensure steady production, stable prices and reliable incomes for farmers.

Irrigation at the core of transformation

Calling irrigation the “key to changing Rayalaseema’s fortunes,” Mr. Naidu noted that Anantapur is the country’s second-lowest rainfall district and has long faced desert-like conditions, migration, fodder shortages and lack of employment. He said he had pursued irrigation and water conservation throughout his political career, introducing drip irrigation three decades ago, and is now committed to a micro-irrigation policy and groundwater conservation measures.

He likened irrigation projects to “modern temples,” and announced that 36 projects worth ₹35,000 crore—including Handri-Neeva Phase-II, Galeru-Nagari Sujala Sravanthi, Veligonda Phase-II, the expansion of the Madakasira Branch Canal, Bhairavanithippa, Mallemadugu and Balaji Sagar—would be completed within three years.

Mr. Naidu said ₹3,500 crore had been spent to complete the Handri-Neeva canal and carry water to Kuppam. Over the past decade, he added, 500 TMC of water had been brought from Pattiseema to the Krishna delta, enabling the saved Krishna water to be diverted to Rayalaseema. The government is now exploring a Godavari-to-Cauvery link to address persistent water shortages in the southern States, he said.

Centre’s support to allied sectors

Ms. Sitharaman underlined the Centre’s partnership with States across agriculture and allied sectors. Her office pointed to initiatives such as deploying mobile veterinary units and veterinarians across districts to strengthen dairy and fisheries livelihoods, noting that the Centre intended to build on this momentum following the National Democratic Alliance’s 2024 mandate.

Indian School of Agriculture: tech-first training for farmers

Modelled on the Indian School of Business, the Indian School of Agriculture will provide technology-driven guidance to farmers, focusing on digital agriculture, precision farming, crop monitoring, smart irrigation and market intelligence. The State signed an MoU with Reliance for the institution on August 3.

Thanking Reliance Industries for supporting the ISA, Mr. Naidu said the institution should focus on creating agricultural leaders and bringing research, AI, agri-tech and modern farming practices closer to farmers. He described Reliance executive director Anant Ambani as an “adopted son of Andhra Pradesh,” citing his animal-welfare initiative Vantara and the electric buses provided for Tirumala to support the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

Mr. Ambani said ISA students would develop tools that warn farmers of pest attacks before they spread, deploy drones that map crop health, and build price-intelligence systems “that tell a Madanapalle tomato farmer when and where to sell.”

Reliance to invest ₹1 lakh crore in compressed biogas

Announcing a major green-energy investment, Mr. Ambani said Reliance would invest ₹1 lakh crore in compressed biogas plants across Andhra Pradesh, creating more than three lakh jobs and generating nearly ₹60,000 crore in revenue for the State. “Through Reliance’s green energy businesses, I see an opportunity to help our Annadatas become Urjadatas,” he said.

Political messaging and next steps

Reflecting on his five-decade political career, Mr. Naidu said he had been called a “visionary,” a “CEO,” and the “Hi-Tech CM,” and was now being described as a “Water Man.” He pledged to complete the ongoing irrigation projects and “prove that Rayalaseema is not a drought region.”

Significance

The twin launches—the Global Horticulture Hub and the Indian School of Agriculture—coupled with Reliance’s proposed biogas investment, mark a broad push to remake Rayalaseema’s rural economy through water security, technology adoption and value-chain integration. If implemented as outlined, the initiatives aim to lift farm incomes, expand cultivated area, diversify crops and position the region as a competitive player in global horticulture markets.

With inputs from PTI