Odisha Government To Enhance Vegetables And Food Production In State

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Odisha Government To Enhance Vegetables And Food Production In State
Odisha Government To Enhance Vegetables And Food Production In State

Bhubaneswar: June 07: Chief Secretary of Odisha Suresh Chandra Mahapatra has emphasized enhancing the production of vegetables and fruits in the State for meeting the internal market demand. He spoke on the issue while presiding over a State Level Sanctioning Committee on Micro Irrigation held in digital mode from Lokseba Bhawan.

Additional Chief Secretary and Agriculture Production Commission Sanjeev Chopra outlined the issues regarding micro-irrigation under PMKSY for discussion.

Chief Secretary directed to make a detailed study on the production and requirement of the fruits and vegetables like mango, guava, papaya, lemon, onion, and tomato in the State. He asked the department of horticulture to enhance the production of these crops through a definite action plan, and the popularization of micro-irrigation.

The department was also asked to work at tandem with water resources department for intensifying micro-irrigation interventions in ayacut areas of different irrigation projects.

Sri Mahapatra said that popularization of sprinklers and drip methods would optimize the use of water. These methods while enhancing efficiency of the ayacht area and sustainability of irrigation sources will also increase productivity of the land.

Special Secretary Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Sanjeeb Chadha appraised that following earlier instructions of Chief Secretary, cluster approach was adopted for promotion of banana, guava and papaya in the districts like Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Gajapati, Angul, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Boudh, Jajpur and Nayagarh.

A total of around 1015 hectors in these districts have were brought under such fruit crops in the year 2021-22.  Target was fixed to promote these crops over more 1260 hectors during the current year.

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Available data showed, during the year 2021-22 around Rs.62 cr were invested for prompting sprinkler and drip methods of irrigation with the outcome of  31,038 hectors of medium and high land land being brought under irrigation.  Sprinkler irrigation was found more popular among the farmers.

Chief Secretary Sri Mahapatra gave nod to Action plan of around Rs. 531 cr for the year 2022-23. This fund would be invested for promotion of vegetables, pulses, oilseeds, coconut and plantation of fruit species over one lakh hector high and medium land with micro irrigation sprinkler, drip HDPE pipe and pump sets methods of irrigation.

It may be pertinent here to mention that PMKSY is being implemented in the State with funding support from both the Central and State Government. Substantial subsidy on cost of these micro irrigation implements is available to farmers on these micro irrigation implements. The subsidy varies from 80 to 60 percent depending on social category of the farmers viz. ST and SC , small and marginal, and general.

Additional Chief Secretary and Agriculture Production Commission Sanjeev Chopra, Principal Secretary Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Ashok Mumar Meena, Principal Secretary Finance Vishal Kumar Dev, Special Secretary Water Resources Smt Archana Patnaik, Special Secretary Agriculture Sanjib Chadha along with senior officers of concerned departments participated in the discussions.

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