Bhubanesar: The Odisha government has set an ambitious target of cultivating potato in 15,023 hectare (HA) of land during this year’s Rabi season.
This was revealed at a high-level review meeting on implementation of Rabi potato cultivation for 2024 chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
During the meeting, Singhdeo emphasised self-sufficiency in potato production while enhancing farmers’ livelihood and income during the Rabi season. He reiterated the state government’s dedication to extensive potato cultivation as a critical step toward ensuring food security and strengthening the rural economy.
The government has set the Rabi potato target under “Development of Potato, Vegetable, and Spices” scheme. The Odisha State Seeds Corporation (OSSC) Ltd has been entrusted with the responsibility of supplying 1,95,299 quintal certified seeds to meet the target while 1,79,476 quintal has already been source-verified from suppliers.
As of now, 1,28,391 quintal of seed potatoes have been dispatched to various districts, out of which around 1,03,000 quintal have been distributed to farmers. This has facilitated the planting of potato in approximately 5,949 HA across the state.
In order to ensure smooth implementation of the programme, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment department has taken several proactive steps. District-level coordination meetings have been conducted under the leadership of Collectors-cum-District Magistrates to align efforts at the grassroots level.
The meeting also discussed operational challenges and strategies to overcome those, with a particular focus on fostering collaboration among stakeholders.
Principal Secretary Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Director of Horticulture Nikhil Pawan Kayan and senior officials from the department and districts participated in the meeting.
