In 2014, 63-year-old Mastan Basha Sheikh arrived at Dubai International Airport to finally return home after a two-decade-long stint as a truck driver in the UAE. Mr Shaikh, who had saved a considerable amount of money during his stay in the UAE, was filled with excitement imagining his life as a steel trader in his hometown, Rajampet – a major business hub in Annamayya district of Andhra Pradesh.
However, his long stay at Dubai airport due to flight delays changed the course of his plans. With his flight to Chennai delayed by three hours, Mr Shaik found himself wandering through the terminal until he reached a popular juice bar. He saw a young couple drinking papaya smoothie, which inspired him to order one. After enjoying it, he immediately ordered a second. Mr Shaikh soon struck up a conversation with the bar attendant, who introduced himself as 32-year-old Rasool and told him he was from Chitwell – just 25km from Basha’s hometown.
During their conversation, Mr Shaikh learned that the papaya used was imported from Railway Kodur, a town situated between Rajampet and Chitvel in Andhra Pradesh. Driven by interest, he reached Chennai with a new business module focused on papaya farming. Within a few weeks, the would-be steel businessman had purchased a three-acre plot in Penagalur mandal.
Today, a decade later, Mr Sheikh’s two daughters have settled in Dubai, where her husband runs four juice bars and trades export-quality fruit pulp throughout the UAE. Mr Shaikh said, “I am not the only Mastan Basha Shaikh from Rajampeta who has tasted success. There are hundreds of people like me who have returned from the Gulf and are earning a decent living through horticulture.”
Rajampeta division of Annamayya district has witnessed significant growth in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables in the last four decades. From barely a hundred horticulture farmers in the 1980s to a few thousand by the late 1990s, today there are approximately 40,000 horticulture farmers in the region – a twenty-fold increase in just three decades.
Banana plantation in Chitvel, Annamayya district. , Photo courtesy: K. Umashankar
The picturesque Rajampet area is surrounded by the Palakonda (Seshachalam), Nallamala and Lankamala hill ranges. The wooded hills including the SV National Park and the Peninsula Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Wildlife Sanctuary act as natural protective barriers. This unique geography, combined with diverse soils, irrigation methods and climatic conditions, has shaped the horticultural identity of the region today.
Farmers who once depended on rain-fed crops like groundnuts and pulses gradually shifted to fruit-bearing trees and vegetables. Horticulture flourished here due to the semi-arid Rayalaseema climate, red sandy loam soil and ancient tank-based irrigation systems dating back to the Chola and Vijayanagara dynasties.
“This dynamic transformation from traditional farming to a vibrant horticultural economy is unique to Rajampeta,” said Garika Venkat (45), a software engineer who manages a five-acre banana plantation near Anantharajupeta village.
According to scientists from Dr. YSR Horticultural University in Anantharajupeta, the horticulture revolution in Rayalaseema started from Rajampeta division, especially after the establishment of fruit nurseries and training centers by the state horticulture department, promoting grafted mango varieties like Banganapalli, Neelam, Totapuri and Alphonso.
He said that before the 1980s, gardening was limited to backyard gardens and small vegetable gardens near tanks and waterfalls. Mango and banana crops were scattered in Nandalur, Obulavaripalle and Penagalur mandals and depended almost entirely on rainfall, with little help from irrigation.
However, between 1980 and 2000, cultivation of horticultural crops expanded rapidly with the introduction of borewell irrigation and micro-irrigation schemes. In the 1990s, the Cheyeyru and Gunjaneru river basins became a boon for farmers, who started experimenting with mango orchards. Around the same time, people returning from the Gulf with dirhams and dinars started cultivating bananas and papayas in the alluvial plains near Rajampet and Obulavaripalle.
A truck carrying bananas from Railway Kodur in Annamayya district going to Tirupati. , Photo courtesy: K. Umashankar
In 2022, after the reorganization of Rajampet division under the newly formed Annamayya district, horticulture received renewed government focus through schemes such as the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), which promoted micro-irrigation, drip and sprinkler systems and high-density crops.
Mango is dominant in Rajampeta, with large tracts of land in Penagalur, Obulavaripalle and Pullampeta mandals. Commercial varieties such as Banganapalli, Neelam and Totapuri are produced in these areas, which are exported to markets throughout India and overseas, including Southeast Asia and the Gulf.
Banana and papaya flourish in the irrigated belt of Rajampet and Nandalur mandal supported by borewell and tank-fed systems. These crops contribute significantly to farmers’ annual income, often combined with seasonal vegetables. Farmers are also increasingly cultivating coconuts, guavas and coconuts, adopting mixed farming and intercropping systems that enhance sustainability and soil health.
Vegetable cultivation has become an integral part of the regional economy, with farmers in the Railway Kodur and Cheeyru valley areas widely growing tomatoes, brinjals and chillies. Excellent road connectivity to the Chennai-Mumbai National Highway and easy transportation to urban markets further boosted the economic prospects of the area.
Despite such favorable conditions, farmers are struggling due to increasing challenges such as irregular weather, frequent crop diseases and lack of marketing facilities and government support.
“In Penagalur, Obulavaripalle, Nandalur and Pullampet mandals, we have seen a decline in yields for the last five years,” said Mallikarjun (35), a farmer from Anantharajupeta. “The general dryness of Rayalaseema is now coupled with sudden cloud bursts and flash floods, which disrupts the soil condition,” he said.
Pointing to the yellow papaya leaves, Rajasekhar (42), another farmer from Obulavaripalle, said, “In recent years, the temperature has risen rapidly during the day and fallen rapidly at night. Papaya cannot tolerate such drastic changes.”
Farmers also reported that frequent floods along the Cheyeyru and Gunjaneru rivers damage root systems and erode fertile topsoil – particularly devastating for banana plantations. During the peak crop months of June and July, when the south-west monsoon arrives, insect and fungal infections increase.
He said mango orchards are attacked by anthracnose, powdery mildew and fruit flies, while banana crops are affected by Sigatoka leaf spot and stem weevil. Farmers also fear that moisture after cyclone “Montha” will exacerbate these problems, potentially forcing them to increase their use of pesticides.
Pointing out the hurdles they face in selling their crops, farmers said the region produces more than 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes, two lakh tonnes of bananas and equal quantity of papaya annually. Still they face difficulties in selling their produce in the market due to lack of proper marketing facilities and government support.
Hussain, a 30-year-old young farmer, said, “Our 2.7 acres of land was managed by my parents until a decade ago. After Covid, farming and transportation costs skyrocketed. This year, our banana yield was over 70%, but prices have fallen to ₹3 per kg – while the same quantity sells for ₹60-70 in the open market. Middlemen are the real winners.”
Farmers claimed that until five years ago, traders from northern states would come to Rajampeta farms to buy produce at what local farmers called “minimum fair price”, thereby saving farmers cuts and transportation costs. “However, now, we are at the mercy of middlemen,” said Ravindra (28), another young farmer from Chitvel. “The agents fix the prices as per their wish. It is clearly a syndicate,” he alleged.
Similarly, Narasimha, 61, a papaya grower in Chitvel, said prices have fallen to ₹5 per kg. “Since the fruit is highly perishable, the agents wait for our distress calls. We have no option but to sell at the price quoted by them,” he said.
As far as mangoes are concerned, the government had offered a subsidy of ₹4 at the ₹8 per kg price following farmers’ protests against the pulp industries’ reluctance to pay more than ₹4 per kg. According to the report, although the district administration had declared an “informal support price” in June, many farmers said they were yet to receive the subsidy.
However, Annamayya District Horticulture Officer SSV Subhashini clarified that mango, banana and papaya crops are not covered under the minimum support price (MSP) system. “The recent price fixation for mangoes was merely a government intervention to ease the distress of farmers,” he said.
A field officer of the horticulture department in Rajampet said that horticulture has suffered a major setback between 2015 and 2020.
Young farmers who took up farming instead of IT jobs alleged that they did not get the boost and development they expected. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 campaign promise to set up cold storage plants and processing units in the Rayalaseema region.
He said that he is reconsidering his decision. “It is better to go back to our jobs rather than fight a losing battle,” said a local banker, adding that his son-in-law, an MS graduate from the US, returned to the IT sector after an unsuccessful attempt at agriculture.
He further alleged that the presence of Dr. YSR Horticultural University College in Anantharajupeta did not help him in field-level solutions. “Scientists are doing good research, but the fruits of their work never reach our farms due to lack of funds,” he alleged.
Pointing out these constraints, farmers said Rajampeta – which was earlier part of Cuddapah district – was given more administrative attention before it was merged into the new Annamayya district. “Now, the district headquarters at Rayachoti is far from reach. Most of the focus is on Madanapalle and Rayachoti divisions,” said a faculty member of Dr. YSR Horticulture University College.
“Given the horticulture potential of Rajampeta and its important role in the rural economy, the area can really develop if it becomes the district headquarters,” the farmers said.
