Odisha has local surplus of horticulture & agri produce: CM

Bhubaneswar, Oct 8: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said that farmers should have direct market linkages by removing intermediaries to improve farm income. Intermediaries don’t add value to the supply chain and the role of the state government is to streamline the connectivity with the aggregators and processors.

Inaugurating the Odisha Agri Conclave-2021 through the virtual mode, the CM said development of agriculture and empowerment of farmers is his priority. He lauded the participation of leading private sector players in the conclave from across the country.

Referring to the farmer-focused schemes initiated under his regime, he said they have started to yield results. “There is considerable evidence of local surplus of agriculture and horticulture produce. We can work with agri players to work in tandem so that appropriate pre-harvest and post-harvest protocols are followed by the farming community,” he said

Patnaik said Odisha is one of the leading producers of cereals including millets, vegetables, fruits, spices, fishes, seafood and poultry products. Some of the key produces that are available for value addition are  Seafood, Cashew-nut, Organic millets, Turmeric, Coffee, Black pepper, Mango, Jackfruit, Sweet Potato, Tamarind, Honey etc.  

The Kandhamal Turmeric, Similipal Honey, Koraput Coffee have created their own brand values across the globe for their exceptional qualities, he added. 

Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Arun Sahoo said Odisha is a pioneer in promoting agriculture enterprises through ease of doing business.  Mukhya Mantri Krushi Udyog Yojana has been a great support to farm sector business.

Odisha Agri Conclave 2021 is a joint endeavour of State Agriculture & farmers’ Empowerment Dept and National National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India to make the process of farming easier for farmers.

Adani-Wilmer ltd, Tata Agri, Parley, Amul, Coffe Board of India, Big Basket and many other top national and global players participated in the conclave.