Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh has urged Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh to promote fibre produced from horticultural crops grown across the state, according to a post by the Chief Minister's Office of Andhra Pradesh on 29 May 2026. The CM submitted a detailed report on horticulture crops useful for fibre extraction and the textile industry, seeking central support to develop commercial-scale value addition.

Context

Andhra Pradesh's districts of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra produce significant quantities of fibre, yarn, and natural fibre from diverse horticultural crops. CM Naidu told the Union Minister that opportunities exist to add commercial value to this output, which currently lacks organised industrial processing infrastructure. The CM's office stated that a formal report on these opportunities was submitted directly to Giriraj Singh.

Among the most prominent requests was the establishment of banana stem fibre extraction centres in major banana-growing districts — Kadapa, Anantapur, Nandyal, West Godavari, Krishna, and East Godavari — as a post-harvest value-addition process. The CM also sought promotion of cluster-based mechanical decorticator units for self-help groups, to be coordinated through the state's Horticulture Department.

Policy Backdrop

The request fits within the broader national textile policy framework anchored by the PM MITRA (Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel) scheme, approved by the central cabinet in 2021 to establish integrated textile parks with state participation. CM Naidu specifically requested that a PM MITRA Park be set up at Kuppam, a town in Chittoor district that sits near textile clusters in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, making it a strategically viable location for a multi-state textile hub.

For the coconut fibre sector, the CM sought Textiles Ministry support for setting up mechanised husk processing units and coir geo-textile industries in AP's coastal districts through the existing Coir Board–DWACRA network. The Coir Board, a statutory body under the Union Textiles Ministry, already runs processing and marketing programmes that could be extended to strengthen AP's coir industry.

Stakeholders and Impact

The proposals, if implemented, would directly benefit horticulture farmers and self-help groups across banana and coconut-growing belts who currently derive limited income from crop residues. Cluster-based mechanical decorticator units would allow rural women's groups to participate in fibre processing with reduced capital investment. Southern states have repeatedly sought central assistance for agro-textile value chains, and AP's outreach continues that pattern.

Beyond rural employment, the request for a handloom and handicrafts museum at Amaravati — the state's planned capital — signals an effort to anchor craft heritage infrastructure in the emerging city. This would complement the industrial fibre proposals with a cultural-economy dimension tied to the state's weaving traditions.

What's Next

The immediate focus will be on whether the Union Textiles Ministry includes banana fibre extraction centres or coconut husk processing units in upcoming Coir Board programmes or central textile budget allocations. The Kuppam PM MITRA Park proposal will require formal project submission and central approval before any site development can begin. CM Naidu's direct engagement with the Union Minister signals that Andhra Pradesh intends to press these requests at the highest level, positioning agro-textile value chains as a pillar of the state's rural industrial strategy.