Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday asserted that his government’s policy is to treat agriculture not merely as a means of livelihood but as a powerful economic force and to transform farmers into industrialists.
He was speaking at an event organised by Gourmet Popcornika at Musunuru near Nuzvid, where he jointly launched the country’s first non-GMO popcorn hybrid seed along with Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan.
Praising the company, Naidu said Gourmet had sparked a quiet revolution. “Earlier, more than 70 per cent of the money spent on every popcorn kernel sold in India went to countries like Brazil and Argentina. Thanks to Gourmet’s efforts, that 70 per cent income is now reaching our own farmers. In just 11 years, the company has saved the nation 125 million US dollars (over ₹1,000 crore) in foreign exchange. This is a matter of pride for all of us,” he said.
Started in 2014, Gourmet has grown into Asia’s largest popcorn processing centre. It works with 17,500 farmers across eight states, cultivating popcorn on 40,000 acres and supplying to 3,400 cinema theatres across India — an extraordinary success story, the Chief Minister noted. He also appreciated the business acumen and farmer-centric legacy of the family of Managing Director Pattabhirama Rao.
Emphasising value addition, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh grows several commercial crops such as aqua products, banana, mango, chilli, turmeric and palm oil. “Only when these are processed, branded and taken to international markets will the farmer truly become a king. Gourmet has built a robust farm-to-consumer traceability system. This model must be replicated for other crops in the state,” he said.
He pointed out that currently only 10 per cent of aqua products exported from the state are processed. Raising this to 60-70 per cent would create massive employment and foreign exchange earnings.
On water security, Naidu said the government accords highest priority to irrigation. Despite a 52 per cent rainfall deficit this year due to El Niño, the earlier Patiseema project helped transfer Godavari water to the Krishna delta and provided some relief to farmers. He assured that legal hurdles to the Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Project, which would transform the Nuzvid region, would be cleared and the project completed soon. The first phase of the decades-old Veligonda project will be dedicated to the nation on August 31, while the Polavaram Left Canal is already supplying water to Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi.
Calling for interlinking of rivers, Naidu said linking the Godavari, Krishna, Tungabhadra, Penna and Cauvery would permanently solve water problems of the four southern states. Extending the same spirit to the Ganga-Brahmaputra system would secure the nation’s future, he added, appreciating the Vice President’s support for the idea.
Urging the youth not to wait for jobs but to become job-creators employing at least ten people each, Naidu said integrating technology with agriculture and entering food processing could take them to great heights. He described Gourmet’s out-of-the-box thinking as an inspiration for the state’s youth and assured full government support to innovative startups.
Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Ministers Nara Lokesh, Achchennaidu, Kollu Ravindra, Parthasarathy and others were present at the event.
Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu Unveils India’s First Non-GMO Popcorn Hybrid Seed, Calls for Turning Farmers into Entrepreneurs
