Odisha is on its path towards self-sufficiency in vegetable and fruit production.

Bhubaneswar23/9/21:: After becoming a surplus state in rice, milk, poultry, and fish fingerling production, Odisha is on its path towards self-sufficiency in vegetable and fruit production.

This was discussed in a high-level meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra on digital mode from Lok Seva Bhawan wherein Secretary Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Suresh Kumar Basistha outlined the present scenario and available potential of vegetable and fruit production in the State for discussion.

Considering different dimensions of the proposal, Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra directed to prepare a target-specific time-bound work plan for up-scaling the fruit and vegetable production in the context of different agro-climatic zones of Odisha. Mahapatra also directed to list out those species and verities for which Odisha has higher potential. Department was asked to prepare a well-knitted workable plan with inputs from the experts, farmers, and agri-entrepreneurs. Development Commissioner Pardeep Kumar Jena advised to focus on the vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, potato, and onion; and, the fruit species like papaya, banana, guava, and lemon.

A committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary and Agriculture Production Commission Raj Kumar Sharma to prepare the work plan. The Chief Secretary directed to prepare the work plan in a couple of weeks reflecting the interventions required in terms of the agri-input, post-harvest management, cold storage, market linkage, etc.

Director Horticulture Rohit Kumar Lenka appraised that because of the continuous promotional interventions, Odisha ranked first in the production of sweet potato, second in brinjal, fifth in watermelon, cauliflower, okra, tomato, and, sixth in bottle gourd at the national level as per ‘horticulture area production information system’ (HAPIS) reports 2019-20. Similarly, in the fruit production category,  Odisha ranked second in jackfruit,  fifth in lemon, seventh in sapota, ninth in mango, and ninth in jackfruit. In the production of spices, Odisha ranked sixth in coriander, seventh in chili, seventh in turmeric, and eighth in garlic as per the reports of 2019-20.

Available data showed that Odisha ranked seventh in the production of all kinds of vegetables and eleventh in the production of all kinds of fruits as per the agri-crop report of 2019-20. The total fruit production in Odisha touched 2482 thousand MT, vegetable production reached 9798 thousand MT, and spice production crossed 202 thousand MT.Development Commissioner P.K. Jena, Additional Chief Secretary, and Agriculture Production Commission R.K. Sharma, Principal Secretary Cooperation Vir Vikram Yadav, Principal Secretary Energy N. B. Dhal, Secretary Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Suresh Kumar Basistha, Director Agriculture Muthu Kumar, Director Horticulture R.K. Lenka along with senior officers of concerned departments participated in the deliberations.