Nabarangpur: The state government Wednesday launched a multi-dimensional pilot project for developing agriculture in an attempt to improve the condition of farmers in the district.
The pilot project is intended to improve the lives of farmers through application of science and technology, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said after inaugurating the project through video conferencing.
The project will enhance the income of farmers through improved productivity in horticulture, cultivation of alternative tuber crops in the maize eco-system, aromatic grasses on unused land and through extraction of aromatic oil from lemongrass, turmeric and eucalyptus round the year.
An amount of Rs 520.88 lakh has been sanctioned for the project in the year 2019-20.
Briefing the media, Odisha Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Arun Sahoo said, “The Odisha Government and 12 other Central agencies like the CSIR, ICAR, DBT, ICMR etc picked Nabarangpur district for the pilot project to help the farmers there.”
“For example, eucalyptus grows there in huge quantities. We are trying to extract aromatic oil from it. We are also trying to plant more lemongrass The farmers can extract perfumed oil from lemongrass leaves and ‘Kunkum oil’ from turmeric. This will increase their incomes,” he said.
“The outcomes will be assessed and if successful the project will be expanded. We will tie up with other schemes of the government to create common facilities for the local processing of agro products and entrepreneurship development,” says a press release issued on the occasion.
Collector Ajit Kumar Mishra thanked the Chief Minister as this initiative is the first one launched in Nabarangpur district.
The multi-dimensional pilot project is an initiative of the Odisha Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment in partnership with R&D agencies under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
The project plans to demonstrate technologies available with the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council of Agricultural Reseach (ICAR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Central Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to help the farmers of Nabarangpur.
It envisages introduction of better planting material, cultivation of tuber crops and cash crops particularly aromatic oil plants, water harvesting and integrated farming, pest-harvest processing and value addition, development of fishery and poultry, nutritional garden for meeting nourishment challenges, monitoring of risk factors in nutritional deficiency and use of renewable energy for agro-processing and agriculture.
Government organisations like RWSS, Agricultural and Horticulture Department, Health Department, Fishery Department, ITDA, Animal Husbandry Department, Forest Department and NABARD are participating in the project.
PNN