Regional Agricultural Research Station, Maruteru was established during 1925 as Rice Research Station to cater to the needs of the rice growers of the famous Godavari delta. The Institute is situated in the typical deltaic soils in West Godavari and located at 16038’ North latitude and 81044’ East longitude and at an altitude of 5 m above mean sea level. The Rice Research Station , Maruteru was upgraded as Andhra Pradesh Rice Research Institute (APRRI), Maruteru in 2005. This is the lead centre for rice research in A.P. and the research is being carried out with multidisciplinary approach involving Plant Breeding, Seed Science and Technology, Plant Physiology, Agronomy, Soil Science, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Rodent Control and Agricultural Engineering. The average rainfall at this station is 1268.3 mm.
The Godavari Zone was formed during 2007 comprising of East and West Godavari Districts of Andhra Pradesh with APRRI was renamed as Regional Agricultural Research Station as headquarters for Godavari zone. Field crops such as paddy, Sugarcane, Maize, Red gram, Cotton, Tobacco, Pulses and Sesame are being cultivated in the zone.