Agri-tourism projects in Agency areas

VISAKHAPATNAM: District authorities are making plans to develop agri tourism-based  projects in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam district. In collaboration with the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), district authorities intend to develop medicinal plant nurseries, apple orchards, forest areas that will showcase nature and where there will be trees such as tamarind, the fruits of which can be used as forest produces and poultry farming and culture-based fisheries at one complex in the Chintapalli Agency area.

ANGRAU is reportedly also interested in turning the Regional Agricultural Research Centre (RARC) at Chintapalli into an important research base to carry out its modern technical development projects, as the area, with its conducive geographical and climatic conditions, is suitable for their requirements.  
As the Chintapalli Agency area is suitable for growing various fruits and medicinal plants, the ANGRAU and the Chintapalli station have already taken up some nursery plantation works at a cost of around `1.5 crore.

The agriculture officials are said to be concentrating on the development of apple cultivation, apiculture, poultry farming-fisheries centre, mixed crops cultivation and orchid plantations in the area, under  agri-tourism projects.In another development, the ANGRAU has proposed construction of buildings for organic polytechnic research at a cost of `10 crore.

ANGRAU EC meets at RARC
Meanwhile, the executive council (EC) of the ANGRAU met at the RARC in Chintapalli recently and discussed various issues. ANGRAU V-C Dr D Damodara Naidu proposed an annual budget of `370 crore for the current  financial year. Varsity authorities have expressed interest in developing new techniques and methods to derive new varieties of crops for cultivation in the Agency areas, with the help of  farmer associations of the ‘Velugu’ project.

Will Chintapalli be another Araku?
As the Visakhapatnam district has already gained fame as a tourist getaway, district authorities are seriously thinking of exploring the agri- tourism sector, with the help of ANGRAU. “To develop agriculture-based tourism projects, such as medicinal herbs plantations, orchid plantations, apiculture, along with poultry farming-fisheries centre, in the Agency area, we are taking support of other departments,” said an officer of the RARC.