Bhubaneswar: The second State Level Coordination Committee (SLCC) of the Agriculture Production Cluster project was organized today at Krushi Bhawan, Bhubaneswar. The meeting was chaired by Sri Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, IAS, Agriculture Production Commissioner and attended by Principal Secretary, DA & FE, Govt of Odisha, Dr Saurabh Garg, IAS. Among others, Dr M. Muthukumar, IAS, Director of Agriculture & Food Production, Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, IAS, Director, Horticulture, Mr Keshaw Jha, Dy CEO. ORMAS, Mr Bimbadhar Sahu, Dy Director, MGNREGS, Dr SS Dey, MD, APICOL, Mr H. S. Ray, ED, OLIC, Dr NR Sahu, Joint Secretary, ST&SC, GP Das, DDA, IMAGE, Shri Kuldeep Singh, Chief Operating Officer, BRLF and Narendranath Damodaran, ED, PRADAN and Kirtibhusan Pani, Integrator PRADAN, Jayadev Dakua from CYSD and Abhiram Panigrahi, SIDI.
The second SLCC meeting highlighted the project’s progress around coverage of horticulture crop, Orchard plantation programme, irrigation infrastructure creation under different schemes, construction of shelters under Goat and BYP, promotion of agri-entrepreneurs and overall impact of the project on the small and marginal women farmers.
Mr Mohapatra, Agriculture Production Commissioner, highlighted that projects like this will set example for the coastal belt farmers. This can be a good business model for agri-entrepreneurs in tribal areas as well.
Dr Garg, Principal Secretary, DA&FE, appreciating the improved technologies being promoted under APC, encouraged to promote such initiatives in grand scale such as trellis, polythene mulching, poly house and soil less nursery.
In the meeting, the project formally launched its website (www.apcodisha.net), where we can get all the details of APC and its current progress. Seven booklets on improved Package of Practises were also launched in the event.
Agriculture Production Cluster in Odisha is a project of Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Govt. of Odisha in collaboration with Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, Govt. of Odisha, Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF), and PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action), for promotion of Agriculture Production Clusters in tribal regions of Odisha. The existing schemes with Directorate of Horticulture, Directorate of Agriculture, Animal resource department, OLM, OLIC, OAIC, APICOL and other relevant Departments are being converged for creation of livelihood infrastructures of farmers in this region.
This project plans to trigger growth in farm sector with an objective of sustainably doubling the income of one-lakh small and marginal farmers by establishing Agriculture Production Clusters (APCs) in 40 backward blocks of 12 tribal dominated districts in the state over a period of 4 years with an investment outlay of Rs 401.6 crores.
Total 650 producer groups (PGs) and 30 Producers company (PC) are being promoted and involved in synchronized market linked production. Around 750 markets linked Agri-Entrepreneurs will be groomed and nested as value chain enablers in these regions.
As a sustainable measure non-pesticidal management (NPM) practices are promoted in 40% of the areas. To augment the livelihoods of the small and marginal farmers, livestock rearing (Goat, Sheep and BYP rearing) are being planned with around 40,000 families in these clusters.
Livelihood assets like irrigation in 16,000 acres, orchard development in 8,000 acres, farm mechanization access to 70,000 farmers and shed for Goat and Backyard poultry with 30,000 farmers are being converged from existing schemes.
Finally, the vote of thanks was conveyed by Sri Kuldeep Singh from BRLF.
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