Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo said the state government was working to convert vast stretches of rice fallow land into productive areas by promoting short-duration pulses and oilseeds during the Rabi season.
Singh Deo made the remarks while addressing a national-level workshop on pulses organised under the Rashtriya Dalhan Atmanirbharta Mission in Madhya Pradesh Saturday, according to an official statement.
Stating that Odisha is working on a dual approach, the Deputy Chief Minister said the state provides input assistance to farmers for paddy cultivation while simultaneously encouraging diversification to achieve self-reliance.
“To this end, we have undertaken the Comprehensive Rice Fallow Management (CRFM) project,” he said.
CRFM focuses on bringing rice fallow lands under short-duration pulses and oilseeds cultivation during the Rabi season, he added.
Rice fallow lands are fields where rainfed rice is grown in the Kharif season, but left uncultivated during the dry winter or Rabi season.
Singh Deo noted that for the 2025–26 Rabi crop season, demonstrations covering 3.5 lakh hectares have been planned across all districts of the state.
“With these progressive initiatives, Odisha is poised to emerge as a development hub among the ‘Purvodaya’ (eastern) states in the agricultural sector,” he said.
Singh Deo said Odisha’s agriculture sector is witnessing significant growth and transformation, driven by strategic policy interventions, adoption of technology and climate-resilient farming practices.
Union Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who also attended the programme, said the Dalhan Atmanirbharta Mission was launched to ensure farmers’ welfare and achieve national self-reliance in pulse production.
Agriculture ministers from several states, along with representatives from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), participated in the workshop.
PTI
