Sri Vijaya Puram, June 17: The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, IAS, launched the second phase of the flagship programme SPICE PRAVAH 2.0 and inaugurated the Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) established under the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) at the Seed Multiplication Farm, Bloomsdale, Chouldari today.
The event was attended by Ms. Purva Garg, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman, Ms. Pallavi Sarkar, IAS, Secretary (Agriculture), A&N Administration and Shri Debabrata Basantia, Director of Agriculture, along with Panchayat representatives, progressive farmers and departmental officials.
The programme commenced with the ceremonial planting of True Cinnamon saplings by the dignitaries, marking the launch of SPICE PRAVAH 2.0, an ambitious initiative aimed at expanding spice cultivation across the islands and promoting sustainable agricultural development. The mission seeks to enhance farmers’ income through the cultivation of high-value spice crops such as True Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg and Bay Leaf.
The dignitaries also inaugurated the Custom Hiring Centre, established to provide farmers with access to agricultural machinery and equipment on a rental basis. The Centre is expected to promote farm mechanization, reduce cultivation costs, address labour shortages and improve agricultural productivity across the region.
The Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) established at Chouldari under the M-RKVY Scheme has been set up at a unit cost of Rs. 23,13,733.56. The Centre is expected to benefit approximately 858 farmers covering the Gram Panchayat areas of Humfrygunj, Chouldari, Mithakhari, Namunaghar and Tushnabad. Similarly, the Custom Hiring Centre established at Keralapuram was inaugurated by Shri Santosh Prakash, Assistant Commissioner, Diglipur. The Centre is expected to benefit around 1,740 farmers belonging to the Gram Panchayat areas of Keralapuram, R.K. Gram and Shibpur.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Secretary stated that SPICE PRAVAH is a visionary mission aimed at transforming the Andaman & Nicobar Islands into a major spice-producing region by 2030. He observed that the agro-climatic conditions of the islands are highly conducive to the cultivation of premium spice crops and urged farmers to make optimum use of available and underutilized land for spice cultivation.
The Chief Secretary emphasized that the programme is not merely about plantation activities but about building a sustainable agricultural economy through the provision of quality planting materials, adoption of scientific cultivation practices and promotion of market-oriented production. He further highlighted that the “Dweep Sugandh” brand complements the SPICE PRAVAH initiative by providing a dedicated platform for branding, value addition and marketing of island-grown spices. The initiative is expected to enhance the visibility and marketability of local spice products while ensuring better returns and sustainable livelihood opportunities for farmers across the islands.
On the occasion, the Chief Secretary released the “SPICE PRAVAH Booklet and Cultivation Guides” for all five focus spice crops, namely True Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg and Bay Leaf. The publication, prepared by the Department of Agriculture, serves as a comprehensive practical reference for farmers engaged in spice cultivation. The guides contain detailed information on scientific cultivation practices, crop management, plant protection measures and post-harvest handling techniques suited to the agro-climatic conditions of the islands.
The Chief Secretary also distributed Cinnamon planting materials to farmers and encouraged them to become ambassadors of the programme by motivating fellow farmers to adopt spice cultivation.
Speaking on the significance of the newly inaugurated Custom Hiring Centre, the Chief Secretary stated that access to agricultural machinery is essential for enhancing farm productivity and overcoming labour constraints. He noted that many farmers are unable to purchase costly agricultural implements individually and that the Centre would provide an affordable mechanism for hiring machinery as per requirement.
Earlier, Shri Debabrata Basantia, Director of Agriculture, addressed the gathering and briefed the audience on the achievements of the Department in the field of spice development. He informed that SPICE PRAVAH has generated considerable interest among farmers and has demonstrated the immense potential of the islands for the cultivation of premium spices. He further stated that the Department is undertaking large-scale production of quality planting materials and strengthening nursery infrastructure to meet the growing demand from farmers. He informed that approximately 106 hectares have already been brought under spice cultivation and expressed confidence that the Department would successfully achieve its target of expanding the area under spices in the coming years.
The Director highlighted that the Department is focusing on scientific cultivation practices, farmer capacity building and area expansion under spice crops. He appealed to farmers to avail themselves of the technical guidance being provided by the Department and actively participate in the mission.
During the programme, Shri Mohd. Shafiq, Pradhan, Mithakhari; Smti Tapasi Saha, Pradhan, Chouldari; and farmers Shri Bishnu Kanta Halder, Smt. Kali Mal and Shri Arumugam shared their experiences and expressed gratitude to the Department for implementing the mission. They highlighted its role in promoting spice cultivation and enhancing farmers’ income. They also appreciated the training imparted on Cinnamon bark extraction, stating that it had improved their knowledge of scientific extraction techniques and generated additional income opportunities from their farms.
The farmers further welcomed the establishment of the Custom Hiring Centre, noting that access to farm machinery and equipment would help address labour shortages and improve the efficiency of agricultural operations.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Smt. Sreedevi, Joint Director (Agriculture) Headquarters, and reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment towards promoting sustainable agriculture, farm mechanization and spice cultivation in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Apart from the State-level function, ceremonial launch programmes were also organized across various zones of the Islands under the leadership of the respective Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners. At Car Nicobar the Ceremonial planting under Spice Pravah 2.0 was inaugurated by Shri Amit Kale, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, Nicobar District as chief guest, in the presence of Shri Lionald Nicomede, Chief, Tribal Council, guest of honour and Shri Manuah Thomas, 1st Headman, Big Lapathy in the field of Smti. Esther, R/o Big Lapathy. During the event, planting of cinnamon seedling were done by dignitaries, Scientists, KVK, HoDs of allied Department and farmers of Big Lapathy village.
At Nancowrie, the Ceremonial Plantation was undertaken by Shri. Kshitij Gyanraj Sa, Assistant Commissioner in the field of Shri. Abdul Rehman R/o Shanu Village, Kamorta.
At Mayabunder, the Ceremonial planting was done by Shri. Sushant Padha, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, North & Middle Andaman in the field of Saw Simon, R/o. Webi Village, Mayabunder. Shri. S. Krishna Chaitanya, ADM; Shri. A.C. Tilak, DFO, Mayabunder; Shri. Tapan Biswas, Deputy Director, Fisheries; Shri. Bhabani Chakraborty, Tehsildar; Shri. Thompson, Pradhan, Rampur; Saw Seetha, President, Karen welfare society attended the event.
At Diglipur, the Ceremonial planting organized at Keralapuram, by Shri Santosh Prakash, Assistant Commissioner in the presence of Pramukh Shri. Dipankar Mistry, Panchayat Samithi, Diglipur, PRI Members and farmers.
At Campbell Bay, the Ceremonial planting was done by Shri. Shivam Tashi Dhawa, Assistant Commissioner, Campbell Bay in presence of Shri. E.S Rajesh, Pramukh, Panchayat Samati Campbell Bay and Shri Sanjay Ekka, Up- Pramukh.
At Rangat, the Ceremonial planting was done by Shri Deepanshu Vohra, Assistant Commissioner, Rangat, as the chief guest at the Coconut Plantation, Chitrakut, Rangat. The event was also attended by Shri Pradeep Kumar, Block Development Officer, Rangat; Shri R. Madhavan, Zilla Parishad Member; Shri Sujit Mistry, Pradhan, Nimbutala Gram Panchayat and other departmental staff. As part of the inaugural ceremony, all the dignitaries planted one cinnamon seedling each.
At Little Andaman, the Ceremonial planting was done by 1st Captain Shri. Andrew Mosess, Harminder Bay, Little Andaman in presence of Secretary, Tribal Council, Harminder Bay, Shri. Festus Nathaniel as special guest with BDO as guest of honour, Little Andaman. At RK Pur, the ceremonial plantation under Spice Pravah 2.0 was done by Pramukh in the presence of BDO and progressive farmers in the farmer’s Field of RK Pur, Little Andaman.