AMARAVATI, APRIL 24: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will receive the prestigious Business Reformer of the Year 2025 award announced by leading media organization The Economic Times at Mumbai today. 
As per schedule the Chief Minister will land at Mumbai airport at 2:40 p.m on Saturday. Later, he will proceed to the venue, Jio World Convention Centre at 5:25 p.m and participate in the awards ceremony hosted by The Economic Times. The award presentation ceremony will take place between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM tomorrow evening. The Economic Times will present the honour to the Chief Minister in the presence of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and leading industrialists.
Chandrababu Naidu has been selected for the award in recognition of implementing transformative initiatives such as Speed of Doing Business and Speed of Delivering Governance in Andhra Pradesh.
Eminent personalities such as Arun Jaitley, Piyush Goyal, Nitish Kumar, Ashwini Vaishnaw and S. Jaishankar have received the Business Reformer of the Year award in the past.
The jury of The Economic Times appreciated Chandrababu Naidu’s role in creating an investment-friendly ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh, introducing revolutionary industrial policies and driving investor confidence.
Within a short period after the coalition government assumed office, Andhra Pradesh has reportedly attracted investment commitments exceeding Rs 20 lakh crore. The Chief Minister has also been recognised for simplifying industrial approvals and pursuing reforms aimed at making Andhra Pradesh a leader in technology, innovation, IT, electronics and green energy sectors.
Drawing from his earlier experience of transforming Hyderabad into an IT hub during his tenure as Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu is now playing a key role in developing Amaravati and Visakhapatnam into major economic centres.
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AMARAVATI, APRIL 24: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to strengthen the agriculture sector  to ensure  higher income for farmers. He stressed the need to educate farmers on cultivating market-demand crops and guide them on the most profitable options.
The Chief Minister said agricultural lands should remain productive throughout the year, encouraging farmers to  cultivate multiple crops to ensure continuous income. 
Reviewing on agriculture sector at camp office today, the Chief Minister instructed officials to enable certification-based marketing of produce grown under natural farming, which would help farmers secure premium prices. Referring to the decline in urea usage per hectare during the last Rabi season, the Chief Minister termed it a positive development.
He asked officials to develop a system for doorstep delivery of produce from Rythu Bazaars by engaging suitable agencies. He further called for a cluster-based development plan to transform Rayalaseema into a global horticulture hub.
The Chief Minister said the state is planning the world’s first dedicated Cocoa City, which should serve as an experience centre for progressive farmers. He directed officials to identify a suitable location for the 250-acre project.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to study ways to expand saffron cultivation in the Araku Agency area and improve quality yields. Under the AP Mushroom Mission 2026–2031, he set a target of producing one lakh metric tonnes annually.
Officials informed the CM that apples being cultivated experimentally in Anantapur are tasty and climate conditions are favourable. He directed them to scientifically study the region and expand the cultivation.He also instructed officials to focus on increasing cultivation of avocado, fig, jackfruit, guava and pepper. Fruits like figs should be processed into dry fruit products to enhance value.
The Chief Minister ordered preparation of an action plan to expand horticulture cultivation to 50 lakh acres across the state. He also said BPL farmer families should be supported with dairy and livestock-based supplementary income opportunities, with government-backed assistance plans.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that a statewide crop survey is underway, documenting crops under cultivation and available water resources.
They said the Farmer App now includes comprehensive details such as farmers’ profiles, land extent, soil test data, usage of urea, pesticides and seeds, benefits received under government schemes, groundwater availability and nearby water resources.
The app also provides crop-specific weather forecasts and input requirements such as fertilizers and seeds.
Officials said over 8 lakh farmers have registered on the Farmer App so far. The Chief Minister noted that beyond registrations, effective usage and actual benefits to farmers are more important.
Officials also said awareness campaigns under Rythanna Meekosam reached 48.73 lakh farmer families in Phase 1 and 46.21 lakh farmer families in Phase 2 through a five-point outreach programme.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that southwest monsoon rainfall this year may be below normal at around 92 percent of average levels.They said that El Niño may severely affect rainfed regions, especially Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, Kadapa, Kurnool and Prakasam districts leading to reduced rainfall which  may impact pulses, oilseeds and water-dependent horticulture crops.As a mitigation measure, officials said the state is implementing PMDS (Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing), under which seeds are sown before the onset of rains.
They said the system improves yields while reducing cultivation costs, fertilizer usage and water consumption, enabling farmers to earn an additional Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 per acre.
The Chief Minister directed officials to implement PMDS in 20 lakh acres this year and explore integrating it with VBG Ramji initiatives.
Officials said that in 2025–26, natural farming was taken up in 9.26 lakh hectares by 17.74 lakh farmers across 4,116 gram panchayats.For 2026–27, the Chief Minister set an ambitious target to expand natural farming to all 13,300 gram panchayats, covering 25 lakh farmers and 11 lakh hectares.
Officials explained the RSK Intelligence Hub Dashboard, designed to monitor the functioning of Rythu Bharosa Kendras and agriculture sector performance across the state.
The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure real-time updates and accurate data on the dashboard.