Village of leafy vegetables

Kunchenapalli, located about 20 km from Guntur, is famous for supplying leafy vegetables, worth lakhs of rupees, everyday to markets in all major cities and towns in coastal Andhra Pradesh.

About 450 farmers of the opulent village grow vegetables, particularly leafy vegetables, worth Rs 20-25 crore every year in 940 acres, 640 of which are around the village and rest in surrounding other villages.

The village has been known for cultivation of only vegetables since the past 70 years. Of late, farmers have shifted towards growing leafy vegetables, which include curry leaf, elephant footlam, colacacia, spinach, amaranthus, coriander, chukkakura, menthi, mint, batchali, cabbage, cauliflower and sisal-hemp.

The village is also reputed for cultivation of turmeric and mirchi on a large scale. As the village is fertile, and situated near Krishna river, roadside land rates touch Rs 25-30 lakh per acre.

"The villagers transport leafy vegetables to Vijayawada, Guntur, Ongole, Nellore, Machilipatnam, Gudivada, Eluru, Khammam, Warangal, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata and Chennai everyday," says K Jojeppa, a village elder and farmers' leader. Autos lift leafy vegetables to nearer places and trucks take them to far off markets. Most of the farmers themselves take their harvest to nearby markets, he adds.

Everyday, two trucks laden with yam and colacacia, worth Rs 2 lakh, are despatched to other districts and states. During off season for coriander, farmers import two trucks worth Rs 3 lakh from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu daily.

"They pay advances through their agents in those two states and buy coriander. They keep in touch with the fast changing market trends through cellphones and transport coriander to markets up to Kolkata where they are assured of bulk profits."

There are around 360 borewells sunk in the village field, which ensure that farmers carry out their operations everyday, throughout the year without any hitch.

"Agriculture is the fulltime passion of farmers here. They go for right seeds, use apt fertilisers and pesticides, heed government experts' advice and manage farmhands," he said.

About 800 village farmhands and 300 others brought from other villages help farmers in their endeavour.