Tummala Bats for Airport in Kothagudem

Hyderabad: Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Thursday requested Union civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu to set up a greenfield airport in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district. He also urged the Union Minister to expedite the process of setting up airports in Warangal, Adilabad and Mahbubnagar.

Rao was in Delhi and met several Union ministers with a list of requests. In his meeting with Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rao minister sought the establishment of a coconut board in Telangana. He expressed gratitude for imposing a 28 per cent import duty on oil palm which, he said, would impetus to domestic cultivation of the crop.

Rao appealed to the centre to provide minimum support price for oil palm and requested the establishment of a centre of excellence in Aswaraopeta, Khammam district. The minister who had toured flood-hit Khammam district recently is reported to have responded positively to requests for adequate financial assistance.

Rao participated in the World Food Summit being held at Bharat Mandapam where he held meetings with industry leaders such as Lulu Group chairman Yusuf Ali, Monin India MD Germain Araud, and BL Agro MD Navneet Ravikar. Rao highlighted the opportunities available in Telangana and invited them to set up food processing units in the state. The minister also visited the Telangana pavilion in Bharat Mandapam.