Vegetables supply to dry up in Vijayawada and Guntur cities

Vijayawada: Vijayawada and Guntur cities in the state capital region will face a severe shortage of vegetables after the establishment of the state capital. A major part of the land to be acquired by the government for the capital is famous for its vegetable and horticulture production.

Tallayapalem, Venkatayapalem and Uddandarayapalem villages are known for their vegetable cultivation, including leafy vegetables. These villages cultivate donda, ladyfinger, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, beetroot, kanda, carrot, banana and other varieties of vegetables.

Likewise, Linayapalem, Rayapudi, Borupalem and Abbirajupalem villages are known for their lime, which are exported to several districts of the state.

Besides, several villages which are going to be affected by the land pooling proposal are well known for their banana cultivation. The various varieties of banana like Karpuram are exported from these villages to all parts of the country.

The farmers are generally busy raising banana trees from March to August and cultivating carrot from December to March. The carrot would be exported to several states in the country.

Thousands of migrants eking their livelihood by cultivating vegetables and fruits in the district by taking land on lease, apart from thousands others who pack and transport the produce.

The Rythu Bazaars in Vijayawada city alone get over 500 tonnes of vegetables, of which a major portion comes from Guntur district.

The Swarajya Maidan Rythu Bazaar alone gets 200 tonnes of vegetables daily, according to estate officer P. Ramesh Babu.

If the government take away 30,000 acres of land of the riverfront villages, the green cover is likely to disappear and both Vijayawada and Guntur cities will face a shortage of vegetables.

The farmers too are expressing anger at the government’s decision to destroy the green cover along the river course, citing vastu.