Press Trust Of India
Berhampur, Dec 28: In a bid to boost agriculture production, the state government announced a plan to provide irrigation to more than 10,000 hectares in the next five years.
‘‘We have already initiated the process to expand irrigation network and achieve the target of irrigating 10,000 hectares in five years. It will help in raising farm output in the state,’’ Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here after inaugurating a three-day regional agriculture fair-2014 here Sunday.
The farmers from 10 southern Orissa districts attended the fair.
Since economic growth of the state was largely dependant on agriculture, the Chief Minister said, his government was giving priority to the growth and improvement of the farm sector and its allied sectors.
While the government had made a separate budget for the agriculture sector in the last two years, it had also announced an agriculture policy, he said. The policy was aimed at increasing agriculture productivity, market facilities to different agri-products and to take different welfare measures for farmers, Patnaik said.
He also asked farmers to take advantage of Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana, an insurance policy for farmers in the state.
Despite losses suffered by the state due to cyclone Phailin, the state government has bagged Krishi Karman Award from the Centre for the last two consecutive years for best performing state in overall food-grain production, he said.
The Chief Minister said the proposed state potato mission, aimed at making the state self-sufficient in potato production, would start taking shape from 2015-16 fiscal year.
Several incentives for revival of the multi-purpose cold storages and for cultivation of the potato would be provided to the farmers, the Chief Minister added.
