On Gandhi Jayanti, October 2, 2026, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu marked what he called a 'golden chapter' in Rayalaseema's history — laying the foundation stone for a ₹1 lakh crore Global Horticulture Hub that aims to transform one of India's most drought-scarred regions into a produce powerhouse with a direct line to world markets.

Turning drought country into a ₹1 lakh crore orchard belt

Rayalaseema — the four southern districts of Andhra Pradesh — has long carried the Telugu phrase 'kara-vu seema' (land of drought) as an unwanted identity. Naidu's announcement frames the Global Horticulture Hub as the structural answer: a project scaled to ₹1 lakh crore designed to make farming in the region commercially viable, aggregate Rayalaseema's fruit and vegetable output, and plug it into international supply chains. The Chief Minister's stated goal is blunt — 'every farm a crop, every crop a price, every farmer an income, every village prosperity' — under the banner of Rayalaseema Rising.

Reliance Industries director Anant Ambani has been acknowledged as a key private-sector partner in the initiative, signalling that the hub is structured around corporate co-investment rather than purely government expenditure. That pairing of state ambition with large-scale private capital is central to the project's credibility as a global-standard facility rather than a domestic mandi upgrade.

Indian School of Agriculture: a second foundation stone the same day

Alongside the horticulture hub, Naidu also laid the foundation stone for the Indian School of Agriculture — a dedicated institution aimed at equipping farmers, especially horticultural growers, with technical skills, market knowledge, and agri-business acumen. The co-launch on the same day carries deliberate symbolism: the hub creates the market infrastructure, and the school creates the human capital to fill it.

Performing both groundbreakings on Gandhi Jayanti adds a layer of political messaging — tying an agrarian modernisation push to the memory of a leader most associated with India's rural majority. Naidu explicitly noted the significance of the date in his post, calling it a source of 'great joy.'

Modi, Nirmala Sitharaman thanked for central support

Chief Minister Naidu publicly credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for supporting farmer-welfare programmes, thanking both on behalf of Andhra Pradesh's people. The acknowledgement underscores the TDP-led state government's ongoing alignment with the NDA at the Centre — a relationship that has been critical to channelling central funds and policy support into Andhra Pradesh's infrastructure agenda since the 2024 state elections.

The project's ambition is macro-level: position Rayalaseema's fruits — historically sold at distress prices in local mandis — in global export markets, delivering price discovery and income stability to a farming community that has suffered repeated crop failures. Whether the ₹1 lakh crore number reflects committed investment, projected economic activity, or a blended figure will be the first question analysts and opposition benches are likely to press.

A region once defined by migration and drought is being asked to imagine itself as a global horticulture address. The foundation stones are in the ground — now the concrete has to follow.