Cocoa City to come up in Eluru in 500 acres

Amaravati: Under scoring the growing importance of zero-based natural farming, Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu has announced the development of Cocoa City in over 500 acres in Eluru district.

At a review meeting held here, he directed the officials to initiate action to transform Andhra Pradesh into the largest natural farming hub in the country. He said that at present 1.8 million farmers have come forward to practice natural farming across 2 million acres in the state.

The Chief Minister stressed the need to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. He stressed the importance of providing certification and traceability facilities to ensure the quality of natural farming products. He suggested that agriculture students should practice natural farming themselves.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to ensure traceability and certification for natural farming by April this year and announced that training programs on natural farming would be conducted statewide in collaboration with Subhash Palekar. He also stressed the need to increase the share of Andhra Pradesh’s agricultural products in national and international markets.

Recalling that Rayalaseema earlier faced severe water scarcity, he said the issue had been addressed this year through efficient water management, with all reservoirs filled and no shortage of irrigation water. Officials informed the Chief Minister that trade agreements with the US and EU have created more opportunities to increase exports of shrimp, dry chillies, mangoes, rice, and processed foods from the state. The Chief Minister stressed the need to maintain quality. The Chief Minister directed officials to develop a Cocoa City in Eluru district, encompassing cultivation, processing, and marketing at international standards. He pointed out the scope for intercropping in mango, cocoa, cashew, and coconut plantations and asked officials to encourage farmers in this direction.

While noting that Andhra Pradesh ranks second in the country in banana production but lags in exports, he called for a stronger focus on boosting exports. He also directed that companies willing to take up large-scale saffron cultivation in Lambasingi under the PPP model, with participation of local tribal communities, be permitted.

The Chief Minister announced that registration of aquaculture activities would be made mandatory. To strengthen the poultry sector, he instructed that egg supply contracts for government schools and anganwadi centres be given directly to farmers.