KAKINADA: The world-famous nurseries of Kadiyam in East Godavari district have lost their sheen. With a slump in business due to the lockdown, the owners are now having a hard time keeping the nurseries running.“We cannot completely shut shop like other businesses, as the plants need to be taken care of on a daily basis like babies,” says Palla Subba Rao, who runs the famous Palla Venkanna nursery in Kadiyam. But with the lack of business, owners have had to cut down on the number of employees.
The nurseries, which are spread over nearly 3,500 acres in Kadiyam mandal of East Godavari district, provide employment to nearly 20,000 agriculture labourers from nearby villages. At least half of them have now lost their livelihood.Kadiyam has nearly 50 major and 1,500 small nurseries from where plants of various varieties — ornamental, aquatic, flowering, avenue, fruit, desert, palm and ficus, besides garden and indoor plants for houses and offices — are exported to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharasthra, Delhi and Telangana.
The major nurseries employ about 500 workers, while the medium and small ones employ around 100 workers for watering, pruning, removing weed and transporting plants.“We haven’t got any customers, and maintenance of the nursery has become difficult. We cannot shut the nurseries as plants worth crores of rupees will perish if they are not taken care of. Big nurseries employ around 500 workers, but we can’t even pay 100 of them now,” Venkanna’s son Subramanyam told TNIE.