Efforts on to wean away tribals from ganja cultivation
Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University at Chintapalli has taken up organic cultivation of flowers to get better income to the tribal farmers
The government has been trying various methods to arrest ganja smuggling in the State, but all these efforts have failed till now.
Now, the government has decided to strike at the very root of the problem itself. It wants to wean away farmers from cultivating ganja and opt some other profitable crop.
The government is of the view that if farmers get better income, they will stop cultivating ganja. Taking this into consideration, the State government decided to encourage the tribals who were cultivating ganja to cultivate commercial crops to get better income.
To execute the plan, Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University is encouraging the vegetable cultivation besides different types of flowers. University vice-chancellor Dr N Vishnuvardhana Reddy directed the agriculture and horticulture scientists of Regional Research Centre at Chintapalli to take steps to start cultivation of flowers and vegetables on a pilot basis. Following his orders, the scientists have taken up organic cultivation of five types of gladiolus, three types of tuberose, China aster flower, tulip flower, marigold and chrysanthemum. They successfully cultivated the flowers. Lambasingi is developing as Andhra Kashmir and Andhra Ooti Araku is also developing day by day. The number of tourists visiting these places is also increasing gradually. If the tribal farmers start raising flower gardens, they will develop economically and their standard of living will improve.
Dr Vishnu Vardhan Reddy said that farmers in Hyderabad and Bangalore set up poly houses for cultivating flowers, whereas in Agency area in Vizag, climate is suitable for the cultivation of flowers. There is no need to set up poly houses here. The farmers will market the flowers 100 kms away in the economic capital to get better income.
He said that they will take steps to encourage the farmers to raise flower gardens in the next five years for their economic development.
According to him, tourists also love flowers being cultivated in the Agency area. He said tourists are coming to Chintapalli Research Centre just to see the cultivation of flowers.