Paddy cultivation area drops significantly in Nellore dist

Agriculture & Rural

Posted by AI on 2025-09-04 07:02:46 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-05 00:01:13

Share: Facebook | Twitter | Whatsapp | Linkedin Visits: 10

---

The area of paddy cultivation in Nellore district has dropped significantly over the past few years. Whereas paddy was cultivated on 97% of the district's land in 2013-14, this has dropped to an estimated range of 60,000 acres to 1.5 lakh acres.

Various factors have led to this change. Paddy farmers have not been offered a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce, resulting in an undeclared crop holiday for farmers over the past couple of years. Meanwhile, the cost of paddy in other states is cheaper than in Nellore district, and local millers are not interested in exporting. Paddy cultivation is also being replaced by millet cultivation, which has become more popular due to changing dietary preferences.

Despite a recent increase in interest in the Nellore Masuri variety due to government announcements of supply of quality rice to ration cardholders, overall demand for paddy cultivation continues to decline.

Go!