Tirupati to get world-class agricultural research centre

Tirupati: Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University will construct Agricultural Integrated Research Complex (AIRC) with the state-of-the-art facilities on the premises of the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) here.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and RKVY (Rastriya Krishi Vigyan Yojana) have sanctioned Rs 10.18 crore for the purpose. Foundation stone for the centre was laid on Monday by Agriculture Minister S Chandramohan Reddy and ANGARU Vice-Chancellor Damodaram Naidu. Tirupati city is already home to a host of academic and health institutions catering to the Rayalaseema region.

There are already seven universities in the temple town. Once the integrated research complex becomes a reality, it would help scientists have a better insight into dryland crop research in the backward Rayalaseema region. At present they are doing research with limited facilities at RARS.

Already at Tirupati RARS campus, frontier scientific lab for soil testing and dryland crop seeds development centre is working. According to information, advanced research centre for crops, practices to do value addition, central research complex for nano technology, farm mechanisation technology and soil health management facilities will be available at the integrated complex.

In addition to the centre, advanced human resource center and advanced centre for agro-climate research and weather forecasting facility also will be started by the end of 2019. For the first time in the state, genomics scientific analysis facility would come in the new integrated research complex.