Category Archives: Business & Economy

Port City Farmer’s ‘Amrutam’ Variety Set to Rule Mango World

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Kongara Ramesh at his mango orchard at Tarluwada village in Visakhapatnam district | Express Photo
Kongara Ramesh at his mango orchard at Tarluwada village in Visakhapatnam district | Express Photo

Visakhapatnam :

Amrutham Ice Fruit Mango, a new variety of the king of fruits, developed by a scientist Kongara Ramesh, is entering the international markets including the United Arab Emirates, the US and several other countries. This is the first mango created by a farmer using cross-pollination technique and can be frozen and eaten in all seasons. The uniqueness of the new mango variety is that it can be eaten like an ice fruit by peeling off its skin.

The new variety was developed three years ago after a 12-year experimentation by Ramesh. In the last three years, he planted the saplings extensively to estimate its yields. Now, Ramesh is taking care of 50,000 saplings at his own nursery at Tarluwada village in Anandapuram, just 28 km away from Visakhapatnam city.

Ramesh developed the variety by cross pollination between Amrapali and Chinnarasalu mango varieties, which are very sweet and can be frozen at sub-zero temperatures.

The Amrutham Ice Fruit Mango has been selected for the world horticulture show to be held at Germany in February, 2015. “It will be the first step to market Amrutham globally. I’m sure this will bring huge foreign currency to the country,” a proud Ramesh says.

Mass Cultivation

After the great success of Amrutham, Ramesh is wasting no time for mass cultivation of the fruit. Making use of all the 100 trees he raised initially, he had developed a nursery of about 50,000 saplings aged between six months and two-and-half years. As many as 600 trees can be raised in an acre and they will bear fruit in about three to four years. The yield of the fruit is 15 tonnes per acre. Except for using organic manure in the first year, the trees need no special care.

Assured Yield

Amrutham starts flowering from November. If the flowers are damaged in November, the cyclone season, it starts flowering in December and January with an assured yield of 90 per cent. Ramesh has also developed another variety called ‘Swagatham’. The speciality of the fruit is its aroma. One fruit of Swagatham’s aroma pervades the entire house. The variety was developed by cross-pollination between Imam Pasand and Chinna Rasalu.

Export Potential

Ramesh has plans to export the Amrutham Ice Fruit Mango to several countries. A large number of Telugu NRIs and foreigners are making enquiries about the fruit. However, surprisingly, neither the state government nor the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry visited the place to take further steps for bulk cultivation.

The Man Behind the Magic Fruits

A Guntur-based farmer and homoeo doctor settled in Visakhapatnam about 15 years ago, Ramesh started his own research at a 40-acre land owned by a private company. Having great interest in the mango crop and its varieties, Ramesh developed his ideas by cross-pollinating Andhra’s most popular mango Nuziveedu Chinnarasalu with North India’s famous variety Amrapali. He displayed it at the All India Horticulture Exhibition held in New Delhi last year, where a large number of foreigners tasted it and lauded it. Ramesh also sold the fruit in Vizag market. Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority witnessed the variety and congratulated Ramesh, who is set to market the fruit on a large-scale from the next season.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by VKL Gayatri / September 24th, 2014

Virginia tobacco exports fetch Rs. 6,092.8 crore

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) Tobacco has emerged a top grosser for India as the exports fetched more than $1billion during the 2013-2014 fiscal year, Tobacco Board Chairman K. Gopal said here on Monday.

Tobacco exports touched a record 2.66 lakh Metric Tonnes, earning a foreign exchange of Rs. 6,092.86 crore surpassing all previous records, Dr. Gopal said on Tuesday.

India is the second largest producer of FCV tobacco (316 million kg), second largest exporter of tobacco (236 million kg), with 91 countries as trading partners.

“The Board has set a target of achieving Rs.10,000 crore in the next five years. It is possible if farmers adopt best farm practices. We have managed to achieve a consistency in FCV tobacco production and with a four per cent growth in export volumes,’’ Dr. Gopal said.

Regulation of crop production has been a formidable challenge for the Board as the farmers went on an overdrive in 2013-2014 producing 316 million kg, much higher than the authorised crop size of 274 million kg. The Board has ensured that the entire Tobacco was sold on auction floors ensuring that farmers and traders have a win-win situation.

“The key issues remain are CPA residues, non-tobacco related manufacturers, tariff barriers for traders and lengthy auction procedures, price variations and vagaries of weather for farmers. The Board is looking into these issues and has begun addressing them,’’ the Tobacco Board Chairman said, adding that as part of the brand image building exercise, the Tobacco Board participated in the International Trade fairs giving a boost to trade.

As a prelude to the cropping season in Andhra Pradesh, the Tobacco Board released a “Special Bulletin on Karnataka FCV tobacco” containing good agriculture practices that have been adopted to produce best quality neutral filler tobacco from Karnataka Light Soils and also to inform the global importers about the Board’s intent in bringing grower and trade oriented reforms.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by P. Samuel Jonathan / Guntur – September 24th, 2014

AP CM to inaugurate IT incubation centre in Vizag on Sept 29

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Visakhapatnam :  

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate the IT incubation centre at Rushikonda here on September 29 and on the same day a major seminar on IT development will also be held, according to State HRD Minister G. Srinivasa Rao.

He said here on Wednesday that an IT start-up centre would also be inaugurated. He said the Government was keen on removing the hurdles to the growth of the IT industry in the State and the academic institutions in the State would also take all steps to turn out the suitable personnel for the industry.

There would be interaction between the educational institutions and the IT industry. The Government would play the role of a facilitator, he added.

He said several industries would be set up in the vicinity of Visakhapatnam and the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) chairman would visit the city on September 21 and hold a review meeting here.

He would review how much land had been allocated to each industry such as Brandix and the promised jobs. It would be reviewed whether the industry had fulfilled the job obligation and what steps should be taken in case the industry failed to do so, he said.

If there were any genuine problems holding up the growth of the industry, they would be addressed but it would not be allowed to hold onto the piece of land given to it without generating any economic activity, he said.

He said a skill development centre would also be set up here with the assistance of the local industries. The AP Government was taking steps to supply power 24 hours a day to all the industries.

The State Govt. had also allocated land to the NTPC at Pudimadaka village in Visakhapatnam district to set up a power plant with a capacity of 4,000 MWs.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> News> National / by The Hindu Bureau / Visakhapatnam – September 17th, 2014

Chirala weavers look to go global with craft that floored Marco Polo

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, World Opinion

Italian traveller Marco Polo’s accounts stand testimony to their weaving expertise which had floored the Europeans during the medieval period.

Weavers in Chirala in Prakasam district had carved a niche for themselves worldwide from time immemorial with their weaving skills.

Italian traveller Marco Polo’s accounts stand testimony to their weaving expertise which had floored the Europeans during the medieval period. Chirala, which gets its name from Chira (saree), had weavers who could produce a transparent saree which could be folded and kept in a match box.

However, in the wake of power looms gaining ground, weavers from, among other places, Kanigiri, Ethamukala, Vetapalem, Janarpeta in the district faced hardship due to lack of orders for their deft hands in the era of globalisation.

“The Rs. 70 crore Mega Handloom Cluster, which is all set to commence operations from the second week of October will be game changer,” explained Handlooms and Textiles Assistant Director M. Ramamurthy Naidu after holding awareness programmes for the weavers.

“Eight interventions are planned to strengthen the hands of 12,000 identified weavers to come out with innovative designs, reduce drudgery and help them find new markets within and outside the country through e-marketing,” he added while talking to The Hindu.

He said the interventions included a Rs. 7-crore yarn bank, modern compressed looms, motorised jacquards, emergency solar lamps, a modern design studio, work sheds for the identified weavers to improve productivity and income for them.

“Our aim is to empower the 12,000 weavers from the district to work wonders on the loom like their forefathers a tapestry of designs and textures”, he added.

K. Venkateswara Rao, a weaver from Epurupalem, said that the government should provide solar lamps of higher capacity to energise at least two tube lights and a fan instead of an emergency lamp which would not serve any purpose.

Weaver A. Veerabrahmam felt that the government should do away with the 20 per cent beneficiary contribution and double the subsidy component for new work sheds from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 50,000. Subsidised yarn and chemical dyes as also export sub-centres should be set up, added another weaver Katuri Narasimha Rao.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by S. Murali / Ongole – September 23rd, 2014

Vijayawada, Vizag to be developed as smart cities: Venkaiah Naidu

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Business & Economy

Vijayawada :

Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh would be developed as ‘smart cities’.

He also said that Vijayawada, Guntur and Tenali would be provided metro rail services.

Notably, the state government had recently announced that the new capital of Andhra Pradesh would be located “around Vijayawada”.

“As a part of the Centre’s decision to develop 100 smart cities in the country for making urban life comfortable by improving living conditions there, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam in AP would get a chance to be developed as smart cities,” Naidu said.

He was participating in a seminar on ‘smart cities’ conducted by the Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.

The smart cities would be required to provide round-the-clock drinking water, power, transport and health services at affordable prices to the public, he said.

The development of a smart city needs political will and guts to enforce proper taxation system, implement good governance, weed out corruption and check unauthorised constructions, he said.

He also appealed to the public to pay taxes properly to avail the amenities and services.

The Centre has so far not decided on the places for the smart city project. The state governments have to propose the names for it, he said.

However, the four metros, the capitals of states and major cities and their surrounding areas would be developed as smart cities, he said.

Lok Sabha MP G Ganga Raju and Andhra Chamber of commerce and industry president M Murali Krishna were among others present on the occasion.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / PTI  / September 15th, 2014

Woman comes up with out of the box farming techniques

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Woman farmer G Mythili at her farm in Ambajipet mandal of East Godavari. PHOTO: By Arrangment / The Hindu
Woman farmer G Mythili at her farm in Ambajipet mandal of East Godavari. PHOTO: By Arrangment / The Hindu

Garimella Mythili Subrahmanyam, a woman from a traditional Brahmin family, is making strides in the field of farming by using innovation to the fullest. Ms. Mythili, a native of Kotivari Agrharam in Amabjipet mandal of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, completed her graduation and entered farming as a result of adverse circumstances. She has also completed her diploma in computer education.

Having cultivated coconut in about 2 acres of land in the village, Ms. Mythili started thinking of out-of-box ways to improve yield and revenue. As a first step, she bought a cow which met the requirement of her family for milk and curd, thereby reducing cost.

As the cow used to give only two litres of milk per day, she replaced it with another that gave better yield. At present, she has four cows and three calves.

While increasing the number of cattle, she simultaneously focused on gobar bio-gas plant, which has reduced the cost of purchasing cooking gas. She was also instrumental in encouraging more than 80 farmers to install bio-gas plants in their backyards. “I was presented an award for using cow urine to produce bio-gas. We made an arrangement in our backyard whereby the cow urine directly flows into a tank,” she told The Hindu.

Ms. Mythili has also received the International Society of Extension Education Award in the past.

She was here at International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to receive an award from Director General William Dar for her innovative practices in farming.

Ms. Mythili is cultivating four varieties of grass in her coconut farm, a rare practice. She also supplies grass seeds to farmers who approach her and explains how they can cultivate it in the fields.

“I love cows as they serve humanity better than many animals. We can continue farming depending on cows rather than on pesticides and fertilizers,” she says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by R. Avadhani / Patancheru (Medak District) – September 16th, 2014

‘Golconda diamonds a misnomer’

Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
Branding the Krishna valley diamonds as Golconda diamonds resulted in depriving the Guntur-Vijayawada area the credit of being the land of the legendary diamonds. (Photo: DC/File)
Branding the Krishna valley diamonds as Golconda diamonds resulted in depriving the Guntur-Vijayawada area the credit of being the land of the legendary diamonds. (Photo: DC/File)

Hyderabad: 

Guntur and Vijayawada lost their diamond hub status due to the rise of Golconda under Qutub Shahi rule, says Prof. Madhavan. Emphasising that the 350-km NH 9 connecting Hyderabad and Bandar via Vijayawada as the ideal model of a corridor, Prof. Madhavan, a renowned geologist and academic, said that it qualifies to be called the diamond corridor.

Guntur and Vijayawada occupy a unique position in the world of diamonds. The geologist said that branding the Krishna valley diamonds as Golconda diamonds resulted in depriving the Guntur-Vijayawada area the credit of being the land of the legendary diamonds, and in glorifying Golconda which was about 300 km away from the mining scene. The world now has a wrong impression that diamonds were found near Golconda which is far from the truth.

He said that Guntur-Vijayawada and the corridor connecting Bandar and Hyderabad should be given heritage status.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by DC Correspondent / September 07th, 2014

GVMC to run Sivaji Park in PPP mode

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Uncategorized

Visakhapatnam :

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has mooted a proposal to hand over the Sivaji Park at Sivajipalem and MVP Road to a private company on a public private partnership (PPP) venture. On Saturday, two companies expressed interest in maintaining the park through open tenders.

Confirming this, GVMC commissioner MV Satyanarayana said that one of the companies was keen to offer Rs 20 lakh to the GVMC per annum in accordance to run the park spread over 16.52 acres. However, it would take some time to take a final decision on handing over the running of the park to a private party.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / TNN / September 07th, 2014

Capital in Vijayawada silver lining for WG

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Business & Economy

WestGodavariANDHRA06sept2014

The district has been lagging behind in development so far. Tadepalligudem, which is centrally located in the district, hogs the limelight now with the proposed airport, NIT and horticulture research station in its kitty.

The establishment of the State Capital Region (SCR) in its immediate neighbourhood provides a silver lining to West Godavari, which is basically an agrarian district that has been lagging behind in development.

Going by the Chief Minister’s announcement on the Floor of the House on Thursday, the district is expected to get a National Institute of Technology (NIT), Institute of Fine Arts and Commerce, Airport, ceramic industry, Horticulture Research Station, coconut-based coir industries and 100 per cent drip irrigation in oil palm.

An airport is all set to come up on an abandoned airstrip, which was built during World War-II by the British at Tadepalligudem. Forest lands are available for setting up the NIT, the first of its kind in the residuary State, and a horticulture research station adjoining Andhra Pradesh Horticulture University at V.R. Gudem, a stone’s throw away from Tadepalligudem. While ceramic industry has been proposed at Bhimadole, a port will come up at Narsapur.

The Gannavaram airport, proposed to be upgraded into an international airport, is just 35 km away from Eluru city.

Hailing the proposal for a metro connectivity between Guntur and Hanuman Junction via Vijayawada, Aikya Vedika, a forum for the development of Eluru, seeks to extend the connectivity up to Eluru for a stretch of 18 km in the south. “Eluru will be emotionally and physically connected to the SCR only when it is included in the Metro Rail project”, says forum convener and industrialist Brijgopal Lunani.

Tadepalligudem, which is centrally located in the district, hogs the limelight now with the proposed airport, NIT and horticulture research station in its kitty.

Air connectivity with a cargo facility is expected to give a big push to aqua and marine exports from the region. Similarly, a port at Narsapur, with landing facility for mechanised boats and marketing facility for seafood, is likely to bring in a turnaround in the lives of more than 50,000 fishermen from Narsapur and Mogaltur mandals, besides helping them do business without middlemen.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by G. Nagaraja / Eluru – September 06th, 2014

India’s finest linen saree woven in Vijayawada

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All
G. Pulla Rao of Weavers’ Service Centre, Vijayawada, displays the linen saree woven by him. / Photo: By Arrangement / The Hindu
G. Pulla Rao of Weavers’ Service Centre, Vijayawada, displays the linen saree woven by him. / Photo: By Arrangement / The Hindu

In a major breakthrough in the handloom sector, Vijayawada-based Weavers’ Service Centre (WSC), under the Government of India, has come up with the country’s first linen saree, also known as Extra Warp Dobby Design Saree, in the range of 120s lea Linen X 120s lea Linen.

“The saree, which was designed and woven by a WSC team led by our weaver G. Pulla Rao on handloom at the WSC, is meant to make waves on the fashion scene. Another saree (100s lea Lenin X 100 lea Lenin – Muttu Extra Warp Design) available with us may also tempt fashion designers,” WSC Deputy Director Vishesh Nautiyal said.

In fact, the experiment began in October 2013, and it took nearly a year for the WSC to come out with the variety. “Weaving the saree was the toughest part, as we had to overcome several technical problems owing to the nature of the linen yarn,” Mr. Vishesh added.

The team of experts included Mr. Vishesh, Superintendent (weaving) M. Joga Rao and the weaver Mr. Pulla Rao. The trio claimed that the power loom sector could not compete with the handloom sector in the making of the saree, given the techniques involved.

The WSC solely aims at product development and is prepared to extend technical support to interested parties for the manufacture of the saree. However, the WSC has just one saree to their credit. But, experts, including Mr. Pulla Rao, predict it can be woven in three days.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by T. Appala Naidu / Machilipatnam – September 02nd, 2014