Bhubaneswar: In a significant move to promote agri-entrepreneurship and value addition in horticulture, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Energy, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo announced plans to develop an Odisha-based Jackfruit brand, leveraging the state’s agro-climatic potential.
The announcement came following a meeting with Mithilesh Desai, chairman of JackfruitKing Agro Producer Company Ltd, Maharashtra, who paid a courtesy visit to the Lok Seva Bhawan here.
The meeting focused on expanding jackfruit cultivation, processing, and market linkage under a public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
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Senior officials, including Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary (DA & FE), and Kalunge Gorakh Waman, also the Director of Horticulture, were present.
Jackfruit clusters will be developed in Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Koraput, and six other ‘Jackfruit Mission’ districts, Angul, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada and Sundargarh, the meeting revealed.
Additionally, Padmapur (Bargarh) and Patnagarh (Bolangir) subdivisions will also be included under the programme, owing to their agro-biodiversity.
Apart, agricultural/horticultural farms, may be made available to JackfruitKing Agro firm for area expansion as needed.
To facilitate knowledge exchange, an exposure visit to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra for farmers and FPOs will be arranged to understand the jackfruit value chain, processing, and marketing.
Emphasis was also laid on end-to-end integration, from cultivation to processing and branding.
Emphasising the potential of jackfruit as a high-value crop, the Deputy CM said, “An Odisha-based brand in jackfruit will not only promote local entrepreneurship but also boost farmer income through value-added products.”
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