Andhra CM Naidu meets FM Sitharaman, seeks funds for tariff-hit aqua sector

Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu meets Finance Minister Sitharaman seeking Purvodaya funds to support aquaculture, horticulture and regional development.

With his state’s shrimp farmers facing the brunt of the White House’s tariffs, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday met Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman to seek funds under the Purvodaya scheme to “strengthen” his state’s aquaculture sector.

 

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP fell 32 seats short of the majority mark. Bihar’s Janata Dal (United), led by its CM Nitish Kumar, and Andhra’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which Naidu leads, became crucial constituents of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.

 

On July 23, 2024, in the first Budget of the new dispensation, Sitharaman announced Purvodaya “for the all-round development of the eastern region of the country, covering Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh”. Sitharaman announced that Purvodaya would cover seven human resource development, infrastructure, and generation of economic opportunities to make the region an engine to attain the goal of Viksit Bharat.

 

 

During his meeting with Sitharaman in the national capital on Tuesday, Naidu sought funds under Purvodaya to promote horticulture in the Rayalaseema region, expand coffee plantations, cashew and coconut farms in North Andhra, and strengthen aquaculture activities in coastal Andhra.

 

Naidu said targeted funding for these projects under Purvodaya would improve productivity and generate employment and enhance income levels in rural areas. Naidu submitted a detailed representation, requesting the Centre to extend financial support to the state under the Purvodaya Scheme, TDP sources said.

 

The Andhra CM said the scheme’s implementation would help backward regions, such as North Andhra and Rayalaseema, which have historically lagged in terms of industrial and economic development. Since April first week, when the White House first announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, Naidu has urged Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Sitharaman to help his state’s aqua farmers.

 

Andhra accounts for 80 per cent of the country’s shrimp exports and 34 per cent of marine exports, valued at around ~21,246 crore annually, Naidu had said in an earlier letter to the FM. He had said that 250,000 families directly and 3 million more families in allied sectors rely on the aquaculture sector in his state.

 

In another development, Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh met the board of Europe’s largest aerospace group, Airbus, led by its chairman, René Obermann. This is the first time the Airbus board has come to India. According to sources, Lokesh presented Andhra’s proposal to host an aerospace manufacturing facility, anchored by Airbus.

 

The Andhra government has offered ready-to-allot land parcels and a forward-looking aerospace policy. “Airbus represents the gold standard in global aerospace, and Andhra Pradesh is prepared to deliver a competitive home for complex manufacturing with full ecosystem support,” Lokesh said, adding that with “ready land, a progressive policy, and corridor flexibility, we can localise, innovate, and scale for global programme from Andhra Pradesh”.