Bhubaneswar, Feb 12: Odisha has demanded setting up of offices of National Seeds Corporation and ICRISAT in State to facilitate easy availability of quality seed to farmers in the State.
This came up when state’s Agriculture Miniser Pradeep Maharathy held discussion with Union Agriculture Minister ML Kundria at State Secretariat here on Thursday.
Maharathy told Kundria that though the State is self dependent in seeds for paddy crop, it lacks quality seeds for pulses and oil seeds despite it’s tripartite agreement with National Seeds Corporation and ICRISAT.
He also informed Kundria that the Rs 5.6 crore allocated to State for agricultural implements was also too low and demanded hiking to Rs 60 crore.
He urged the Minister that since Odisha lagged behind in pulses production, National level research centre is needed to be established here and urged him to set up an institution like the National Pulses Research Centre of Kanpur in Odisha.
He also demanded a unit of Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute, streamlining fertilizer allotment and new Railway track point in State.
