New Delhi [India], August 19 : Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Monday met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, seeking the establishment of cashew, chilli, and mango boards in the state.
He also urged Goyal to approve a cashew board in Srikakulam to ensure better prices for farmers through processing, modernisation, and transparent trade.
"I met with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi. I requested the establishment of cashew, chilli, and mango boards in Andhra Pradesh. AP ranks second in the country in cashew production. I urged for the approval of a cashew board in Srikakulam to provide better prices to farmers through processing, modernisation, and transparent trade," Lokesh said in a post on X.
"To stabilise the income of chilli farmers and boost chilli exports globally, a chilli board in Guntur, and to strengthen the supply chain and global competitiveness, a mango board in Chittoor should be established, which I requested on this occasion," he added.
Apart from Piyush Goyal, Lokesh also met Union Minister of Railways and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw to discuss the development of the IT sector in Andhra Pradesh.
"Ashwini ji, I deeply admire your clarity of thought and exceptional execution focus. Grateful for the chance to share our vision with you. With the strength of our 'double engine' sarkar, I am confident Andhra Pradesh will soon become No. 1," Lokesh wrote in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, the Andhra Pradesh minister also met Union Minister for Shipping, Ports and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, and urged him to expedite the development of the Dugarajapatnam port in Tirupati.
"I met with the Union Minister for Shipping, Ports, and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, in New Delhi. I requested support for key maritime infrastructure, port-based development, and waterway projects in the rapidly developing Andhra Pradesh. I urged the development of the Dugarajapatnam port along with a shipbuilding unit. As part of the Sagarmala initiative, 110 projects worth ₹1.14 lakh crore are in various stages in Andhra Pradesh. On this occasion, I also requested the allocation of ₹200 crore for the upgradation of wharves and slipways at Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam, Mulapeta, and Kakinada Anchorage ports, as well as for biodiversity conservation," Lokesh wrote in another post on X.