Bhubaneswar: The state Agriculture Fair – Krushi Odisha-2020 – will be organised from January 20 to 24 the theme of which would be profitability of farmers. This was announced by Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo.
This year, the fair aims at increasing farmers’ income by focusing on ways to improve market linkage and sourcing of products from the state. As many as 228 stalls will be put up to showcase the latest technological developments made in the field. The fair will also witness participation of agriculture and industry experts from across the country and abroad as well as pioneering farmers and entrepreneurs from the state.
“Altogether 112 companies from across the country and abroad will be participating in the fair. Workshops and seminars have been arranged everyday to make farmers aware of the new agricultural methods. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the fair January 20. Governor Ganeshi Lal will be present January 24 for the closing ceremony,” said the minister.
Apart from the opening and closing day, this time the fair has been given three distinct themes for the three main days. January 21 will be observed as ‘Co-operation and Banking Day’. The discussions and seminars on the day will revolve around increasing productivity and income. January 22 is named ‘People’s Representative Day’ with the focus being organising farmers into groups for better linkage with industries, participation of Panchayati Raj institutions in agriculture and smart solutions by agri start-ups. The third day is called ‘Women’s Day’ which will focus on women participation in agricultural processes.
“On January 22, we will also have a meeting on how the emerging agri entrepreneurs can access financing from banks. More than 500 bank officials, starting from the RBI, different banks’ regional directors and bank officers from across Odisha will participate in the meeting,” added Sahoo.