The rise of Amaravati promises to be a great opportunity for Srikakulam, which has a reputation for growing the best varieties of vegetables. The district’s farmers currently export veggies to faraway markets like Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar but as new state capital gets built, they anticipate huge demand for their produce from there.
According to the state’s Horticulture Department, vegetables take up 21,000 acres of land in Srikakulam. This may go up to 40,000 acres if construction of the second phase of the Vamsadhara project is completed. Laying down a distributory network for the Thotapalli project would also boost vegetable production in the district.
Currently, export of vegetables to states like Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana is only benefitting middlemen as most of the farmers do not have access to good cold storage and transport facilities. This forces them to sell their produce at low prices. For instance, tomatoes are priced at Rs. 36 in the Srikakulam town market but the ruling rate in villages is not even Rs. 20 per kg. Against this background, the rise of Amaravati may be a ray of hope for Srikakulam as it is six hours away. “The Government should establish more cold storage points in Veeraghattam and Palakonda,” said L.N. Naidu, a farmer from Talavaram village in Veeraghattam mandal. Farmers also seek better coordination between the marketing, horticulture and agriculture departments. “Amaravati would certainly create a huge market for our vegetables. The government should respond by improving infrastructure in Srikakulam,” said K. Prakasha Rao, a farmer from Ponnada village in Etcherla mandal.
