Prakasam Turmeric Tobacco Ongole Coastal Fishing Andhra Pradesh

Prakasam district on the Bay of Bengal coast is one of India's premier red chilli and tobacco growing areas, where the region around Chimakurthy and Kandukur grows Guntur-type red chilli on the sandy coastal alluvium, and tobacco (flue-cured Virginia and Burley varieties) is cultivated under licensing from the Tobacco Board. Prakasam's Ongole town hosts the Ongole cattle breed's principal breeding farms, where the docile Zebu with the distinctive white-grey coat and long ears is maintained in pure breeding herds. The district's Chirala handloom cluster produces Chirala cotton saris — simple handloom saris with bright borders popular in coastal Andhra — one of AP's major handloom weaving centres employing Padmasali weaver communities.