Kadiyam nurseries bloom on global map

The nurseries at Kadiyam, Rajahmundry, have put the region on the international horticulture map. These nurseries are earning valuable foreign exchange by exporting fruit and flower saplings worth crores of rupees.

Kadiyam is, perhaps, the only location with around 800 nurseries -- small, medium and big, at a single place. Close to the river Godavari, and spread over Kadiyam, Kadiyapulanka and Burrilanka areas in 2,000 acres of land, these nurseries provide an ideal environment for the plants.

Talking to Business Standard, president of Nursery Owners Welfare Association Tadala Veeraswamy said, that among the three big nurseries located at Kadiyam, each records a business of Rs 1 crore.

Small nurseries earn anywhere between Rs 5 crore and Rs 6 lakh per year while the medium-level nurseries record a sales turnover of each Rs 15 to Rs 20 lakh. The overall sales turnover of all the 800 nurseries could be anywhere between Rs 150 crore and Rs 200 crore, he said.

Most of the plants in the nurseries are fruit bearing and flowers including decorative plants, which are in great demand in the Middle East and European countries.

"There are about 50 varieties of fruit saplings and 200 varieties of flowers and ornamental plants," said Veeraswamy.

Apart from guavas, sapotas and custard apples, Banginapalle mangoes are in great demand in the international market. Around 50 lakh saplings of the Banginapalle variety are exported from Kadiyam each year.

Similarly, saplings of fruits like sapota to the tune of 50 lakh and guavas to the tune of 20 lakh per year are exported. Every sapling, be it mango or sapaota, is sold at Rs 10 to Rs 25 each depending upon its age.

"Mostly traders from Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa and Gujarat place orders with the Kadiyam nurseries and, in turn, repack and export them to the Middle East and European countries," he said.

Topping the list among the flower plants is the Rangoon roses. These rose plants record a sale of nearly a billion from Kadiyam and other states like Gujarat and Bangalore.

The ornamental plants, which cater to the affluent sections of Indian and foreign countries too are in great demand. The most bought ones include the six varieties of Heliconias, 10 varieties of flowering gingers, Agronima and flowering bananas. These rare species of ornamental plants are found only at the Sundaravanam nursery .

R Sunderaramaraju, a noted horticulturist, is the only one to have developed a botanical garden near Tadepallegudem in West Godavari and has an ornamental plant nursery.