Odisha to set up Agriculture Production Clusters to benefit one lakh farmers

Bhubaneswar, November 06:

Odisha will set up Agriculture Production Clusters(APC) in high lands of 40 blocks of 12 tribal dominated districts over a period of four years to double the income of one lakh small and marginal farmers.

A MoU in this regard was signed with two Non-Government Organisations here today in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Minister Pradeep Maharathy.

Director Horticulture B K Upadhya and Odisha Livelihood Mission S R Pradhan and Bharat Rural Livelihood Mission (BRLM) Chief Executive Officer Pramathesh Ambastha , Pradan Executive Director D Narendranath signed the agreement.

Official sources said the programme will be a collaborative initiative of the Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Panchayati Raj and Drinking water for promotion of agriculture production clusters in highland regions of the state in partnership with BRLM and Pradhan.

While BRLF in partnership with the NGOs will mobilize community, strengthen producers institution and support the departments in implementing the schemes, Pradhan will coordinate with other NGOs, development implementation modalities and support the departments in design, management and monitoring of the project.

As per the agreement around 150 farmers will be organized into one Producer Group (PG), who would be facilitated to practice synchronized market linked production of identified crops especially horticultural crops covering around 40 acres in a contiguous manner.

Around 20 to 25 such PGs having 3,000 to 5,000 farmers will be aggregated to form the Agriculture Production Cluster (PC). In total 30 PCs will be promoted in 40 blocks involving around 650 producer groups covering one lakh farmers.

Around 750 market linked agri-entrepreneurs will be groomed as value chain enablers in these regions.BM