Bhubaneswar: A 2-day national level workshop, AgriVikas 2018, inaugurated by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, was organised at SOA University Campus 2 in Bhubaneswar Odisha. The session was also graced by Shri Giriraj Singh, Hon’ble Minister of MSME and Shri Gajendra Singh Sekhawat, Hon’ble Minister of State for Agriculture graced the inaugural edition.
Shri Trilochan Mahapatra, Secretary, Department of Agricultural research and Education and Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Shri P. Chandrasekhar, Director General NIAM were also present on the dais.
The event focussed on value-addition and agripreneurship, as envisaged by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, was organised by SOA as the primary venue partner, National Institute of Agriculture and Management (NIAM) and KPMG as primary knowledge partners and Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), Siddha Development Research and Consultancy (SDRC) and Sahabhagi Vikas Abhijan (SVA) as outreach partners in Odisha.
In the introductory session, Shri Gajendra Singh Sekhawat provided valuable suggestions on development of farming sector. He shared how more than two lakh students are focused on agriculture and farm sector development in India. Shri Giriraj Singh shared how his ministry is promoting value addition of agricultural products. He envisioned promotion of a Kewda cluster promotion along the 480 KM coastline of Odisha. Hon’ble union minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan provided the information about the initiatives of government of India for improving agricultural income and economic development of the artisans.
In this occasion, five books were released, namely, Agri-Entrepreneurship for a New Odisha focussed on value-addition of commodities in Odisha, Agri-Innovators: Inspiration for a New Odisha, and Odia translations of booklets released by Ministries of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, MSME, and Food Processing.
Post the inaugural ceremony, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Shri Giriraj Singh visited the exhibition area where more than 100 stalls were displayed by agripreneurs from across the country showcasing a wide range of agricultural equipment, know-how on new technology innovations. Shri Pradhan interacted extensively with the participants as there were a large number of Farmer Producing Organisations and cooperatives from within and beyond Odisha.
Six Ministries of Government of India namely Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Food Processing, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises supported the event.
More than 1000 participants including farmers, horticulturists, agriculture scientists, agri entrepreneurs, and students from all districts of Odisha as well as various states participated in the programme.
More than 20 agencies provided sponsorship including Hindustan Petroleum, IOCS, ONGC, Reliance, NTPC, L&T, MCL, NALCO, Vedanta, Safal, Essar, ICSR, TRIFED, and NCDC.
Shri P. Chandrasekhar set the context emphasising that 60% of population depends on farming in India. He urged the audience to be aware about the problems and solutions in the agriculture sector.
AgriVikas 2018 will continue till 30 June 2018 with plenary sessions on various topics including animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries, agro forestry and tribal, horticulture, harvesting and storage, clusterization of farmers, processing and marketing, financing and credit linkage, organic farming, marine and export, skilling, agro tourism, technology and innovation in agriculture, and bio fuels.
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