Lam, a village connected to the Budhist heritage, in Guntur district, is going to be the seat of proposed agriculture university of Andhra Pradesh. This university is in addition to the existing Acharya Ranga Agricultural University. The foundation stone for the setting up of new agriculture university will be laid on November 16 at Lam, where an Regional Agricultural Research Station(RARS) exists. According to union minister of state for science and Technology YS Chowdary it is part of the implementation of the assurance given to Andhra Pradesh by the centre. Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh will attend the ceremony as the chief guest.
Speaking on the occasion of the Agricultural Technological Day celebrations organized to commemorate the 115th birth anniversary of Acharya N.G. Ranga at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Lam, the union minister said plenty of land was available near the RARS. Agricultural Research Station, Lam, was initially established in the year 1922 along with a Buffalo Research Station in an area of 300 ac. of reserve forest land allotted by the government. Both the Agricultural and Buffalo Research Stations functioned as a single unit until 1928 when they were separated and started to function as independent units. The geographic location of the station is North of Guntur- Amaravati Road. Lam is a village names after Lamas, the Buddhist monks lived at this place, 2000 years back.
Established with a mandate to improve dry land crops such as cotton, tobacco, chilli and millet, Lam Station was upgraded to zonal headquarters of Krishna-Godavri zone and as headquarters of Krishna zone comprising Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna district.
Andhra Pradesh government selected the Lam as it is nearer to the capital Amaravati which is being development with a Buddhist theme. According to agriculture minister Prattipati Pullarao, adequate land is available in and around Lam. Immediately about is 900 acres is available.He said the union government was committed to the establishment of Agricultural University at Lam and an initial amount of Rs. 50 crore had already been sanctioned to start the work of establishing the university.
