SRIKAKULAM: In an attempt to strengthen the financial condition of tribals living in the Agency, Seetampeta Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) has proposed processing units for pineapple, turmeric, cashew and other horticulture products.
Tribal farmers cultivate cashew, pineapple, custard apple and turmeric in a big way on hilltops. Taking the advantage of lack of awareness among the tribal farmers, middlemen buy their produce at a cheaper price by forming a syndicate.
Keeping this in view, the ITDA has decided to set up the processing units and cold storages. It is also planning to organise skill development programmes to make the tribals self-dependent.
The farmers cultivate cashew in an extent of over 12,000 hectares, pineapple in 8,000 hectares and turmeric in 4,000 hectares in the Agency mandals. They also take up large-scale production of horticulture crops in Seetampeta, Bhamini, Hiramandalam, Patapatnam, Meliaputti, Kotturu and Mandasa mandals under the purview of Seetampeta ITDA.
They sell the produce in the weekly mandis at different places, where middlemen procure the produce from them.
It may be recalled that the ITDA has granted DKT pattas for 32,899 acres of land in the Agency villages to over 23,000 tribal farmers this year.
There are nearly 20 FPOs (farmer producer organisations) in the ITDA limits and each FPO has been formed by involving 20 FPG (farmer producer groups), said ITDA in-charge horticulture officer Gouri Sankar Rao.
He told TNIE that they had proposed to set up processing units of cashew, pineapple and turmeric and other few horticulture products.
“We are planning to set up four processing units for horticulture produce initially. The units will increase the support price of the products,” he said, adding this will create many employment opportunities in the Agency villages.