Naidu inaugurates Spices Park

Naidu inaugurates Spices Park
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Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced all subsidies and concessions being given to industrial parks would be made applicable to spices parks in the country, including the new ultra-modern spices park in Guntur.

Vankayalapadu (Guntur): Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced all subsidies and concessions being given to industrial parks would be made applicable to spices parks in the country, including the new ultra-modern spices park in Guntur.

Speaking at the inauguration of ninth Spices Park set up at Mydavolu and Vankayalapadu villages in an extent of 125 acres in Yadlapadu mandal on Monday, Sitharaman said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had identified Visakhapatnam and Bhimavaram to be developed as the Centres of Exports Excellence on the lines of Shanghai, a Chinese city, an international business hub.

Very soon the two cities of Visakhapatnam and Bhimavaram will be on the international map, she added. The minister said that a blueprint would be prepared to develop Guntur Spices Park as the best in the country by introducing best export practices. Responding to a plea of Minister for Agriculture Prattipati Pulla Rao to relocate the National Spices Board headquarters from Kerala to Guntur in Andhra Pradesh or either upgrade the present regional office into a directorate, Sitharaman said the demand was justified as 60 per cent of spices exported from India were being cultivated in Guntur, particularly chilli and turmeric. She also promised to bring in funds for the development of roads to connect Spices Park to national highways.

The Union minister said that of the 109 spices available in the country, 51 spices gained special attention for development and research. Guntur will emerge as the best spices destination, she added. She noted that Guntur chillis, being highly spicy, have international demand with 50 per cent of the state’s chilli production being from Guntur. She asked farmers and entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the processing facilities as the park is meant for boosting exports and giving value addition to their products.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, participating as chief guest, promised to develop Guntur into a hub of multiple parks, including Spices Park, Food Park, Textile Park and Industrial Park. “Guntur chillis are world famous and AP is rated number one in spices’ production,” he said. He said farmers should be diligent in management of chemicals and pesticides residues and apply their mind on boosting micro-nutrients.

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