Sambalpur: The administration is all set to give a big fillip to chilli cultivation in Sambalpur district as it will provide support and assistance to the farmers under Kuchinda sub-division, sources said. As part of this drive, the district administration has set a target of chilli cultivation on 700 acres of land which will benefit over 1,163 farmers and help in harvest of 10,000 quintals. The district administration has also applied for GI tag of Kuchinda chillies.
Earlier, the district administration had set up a processing unit for chillies in Kuchinda which is managed by SHG women. The move has acted as a motivation among the farmers and they have expressed their interest in chilli cultivation. The district administration has also engaged a private agency named ‘Maa Metkani’ to help the farmers. It will provide all the benefits and facilities to the chilli farmers at their doorsteps. The agency will provide chilli saplings to farmers and train them in every aspect of cultivation till harvest. The agency will also procure the harvested chillies from farmers and ensure that they get right price in the markets. The matter came to the fore during a meeting organised by the district administration at the Collectorate office here. District Collector Ananya Das presided over the meeting and sought assistance of officials in realising the goals. Senior officials and officials of various other departments were present in the meeting.
According to reports, the district administration has planned for the cultivation of chillies on more land than in previous years. As part of this initiative, it has conducted meetings among the farmers in the villages and sensitised them on various aspects of chilli cultivation. The farmers will be provided with chilli saplings, pesticides and organic manures also. The agency will prepare high quality chilli saplings and provide them to farmers after 40 days. It has also roped in experts who will train the farmers on the method of planting saplings with the use of modern technology. The agency has already roped in Sachin Palkar, a chilli expert from Maharashtra for the purpose. He will train the farmers on minimal use of pesticides during cultivation and use of organic manures.
Use of fewer pesticides will help in improving the quality of the chilli. The use of modern technology and organic manures will help in reducing unnecessary expenses and increase savings for the farmers. It will also help them to boost their income, sources said. The state-owned regulated marketing committee (RMC), Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM) and ORMAS will establish direct links with farmers and help them in availing loans from cooperative societies and banks for their cultivation. Officials of these agencies will undertake field visits in phases and supervise that nothing goes wrong for the farmers during cultivation. They will also interact with the farmers and help them in resolving their problems if they have any