Mayabunder/Rangat, January 10, 2026
Ms. Pallavi Sarkar, IAS, Secretary (Agriculture & AH&VS), Andaman & Nicobar Administration, visited the Mayabunder and Rangat Zones on January 8 and 9, 2026, to review the progress of the SPICE PRAVAH programme in North & Middle Andaman district. The review was conducted in the presence of the Deputy Commissioner, North & Middle Andaman, and the Assistant Commissioner, Rangat, who issued specific directions to concerned field functionaries to ensure timely implementation and effective inter-departmental coordination.
During the visit, the Secretary interacted with PRI representatives, Gram Pradhans, Self-Help Group members and progressive farmers, and held detailed discussions on the challenges being faced by farmers, with an emphasis on addressing their issues in a time-bound manner.
Addressing the gathering, Ms. Sarkar underscored that SPICE PRAVAH is a farmer-centric initiative and called upon Gram Pradhans and PRIs to act as local change makers. She stressed the importance of farmer mapping and large-scale enrolment on the free online farmer registration portal, which facilitates marketing support, aggregation and value-chain planning under the programme. She informed that a total of 103.5 hectares of spice plantations have been covered so far across the Union Territory, benefiting around 700 farmers.
Highlighting the convergence approach of the programme, the Secretary emphasised scientific cultivation practices, including intercropping of spices in existing coconut and arecanut plantations, along with focused value addition and structured market linkages to sustainably enhance farmers’ income. She also encouraged PRIs to identify suitable community lands for developing spice cultivation clusters or Community Spice Gardens, assuring that convergence with Rural Development schemes would be actively pursued for infrastructure creation and expansion.
Responding to concerns regarding fertiliser availability, Ms. Sarkar stated that the issue would be resolved shortly and advised farmers to use chemical fertilisers judiciously to minimise adverse impacts on health and the environment. As part of the visit, the Secretary inspected departmental farms and the fields of progressive farmers associated with the SPICE PRAVAH initiative to assess field performance and explore further scope for spice cultivation and processing in the district.
