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But in January 2003, the all India Nurserymen's Conference is organised at
Kadiapulanka
and it has become a mega event, with people in tens of thousands visiting the flower festival daily. Kadiam nurseries
are spread over a radius of about 10 Km comprising
the villages of Kadiam, Kadiapulanka, Burrilanka, Veeravaram, Pottilanka,
Venkatayammapeta and Damireddipalli. The nurseries in Kadiam are as old as 100
years and at present there are more than 600 nurseries, the extent of each
ranging from just 0.5 cents to 200 acres. In India, there are about 20,000
nurseries employing 60,000 people. But in Kadiam nurseries alone, more than
25,000 people are engaged in the 600-odd nurseries. It was some 80 years back
that one Ravi Chinna Rao
started grafting of fruit plants and flowers as a
hobby, but production on commercial lines was initiated by one Akula Subbarao, a
name that is inexorably linked with the development of nurseries in these
parts.
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