Kadiyam nurseries

South of Rajamahendravaram, on the fertile banks of the Godavari, lies a belt of plant nurseries centred on Kadiyam mandal. It takes in Kadiyam, Kadiyapulanka, Burrilanka, Veeravaram, Pottilanka and nearby villages. The district administration counts more than 600 nurseries, from tiny family plots to holdings of up to 200 acres. Flowering and ornamental plants and grafted fruit saplings fill the fields and line the lanes. Plants from here are sent to buyers across India.

The trade is about a century old. The district’s own account credits Ravi Chinna Rao with first grafting fruit plants and flowers as a hobby, and Akula Subbarao with turning it into a business. By the district’s count, more than 25,000 people work in the nurseries. These are working farms, not show gardens, but visitors can walk around and buy plants. The state has picked Kadiyam as one of its eco-tourism centres.