Jajpur: Rampant irregularities have been alleged in the construction of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for mango and vegetables at Panikoili in Jajpur district. Notably, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare earlier this year had decided to establish a CoE for mango and vegetables at Panikoili in Jajpur district to conduct extensive training and research on horticultural products. An official statement issued by the ministry March 10 this year said the centre will be established under the Indo-Israel Action Plan, as envisioned under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
However, funds to the tune of over Rs 14 crore sanctioned by the District Mineral Fund (DMF) for the establishment of the centre are allegedly being embezzled instead of being put to use. The contractor engaged is doing a shoddy job in the construction of roads, boundary, and houses including ground levelling without using proper equipment. Chatters are abuzz in the area that the district administration, departmental officials and the contractor are in close collusion in the scam.
Notably, Jajpur district has made a name for itself in vegetable farming with veggies being cultivated on around 18,000 hectare of land in the district. Dhar masala, Rasulpur, Dasarathpur and Binjharpur blocks of this district are at the forefront in this regard. However, the lack of adequate cold storage facilities in comparison to the vegetable harvest in the area has hit the farmers hard. They have to bear losses often if they fail to sell their perishable vegetables in time. Farmers in the area had high hopes that the establishment of the CoE at Panikoili would come as a boon for them.
The centre aims to generate knowledge in nursery management, cultivation practices, and production of high-quality and large quantities of planting material for mango and vegetable crops. It will also focus on the demonstration of new varieties, Israeli Agro technology in irrigation, fertigation and plant protection technologies along with precision agriculture and post-harvest management technology. The centre will prepare a training model based on the focused areas such as irrigation, fertigation, nursery, canopy and value chain for the benefit of farmers. Apart, there are also proposals to train the farmers about management, utilisation of DMF and Indo-Israel Action Plan funds, agreement signed with the Indo-Israel Action Plan, usage of other projects and technical assistance. The project received approval in November, 2020.
Subsequently, project works were started at Sathipur near Panikoili. According to sources, almost 90 per cent of the sanctioned amount has been spent already on the project. However, the project is still far from completion casting a shadow on the hopes of the district’s farmers. When contacted, the assistant director of Jajpur Horticulture department, Radheshyam Behera, said the project work is being carried out through the DMF Cell. However, he admitted his ignorance about the progress of the project and the related expenditure.