Bhubaneswar: The Deputy Chief Minister and Minister Agriculture and Energy, Govt of Odisha, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, along with Pravati Parida, Dy Chief Minister and Minister, Women and Child Development, Mission Shakti and Tourism, visited the upcoming value addition facilities for specialty rice and millets and Odisha Bazar at Baramunda, Bhubaneswar and held detailed discussion with the scientists of the International Rice Research Institute, senior govt officials of the Department of Agriculture, Mission Shakti, OUAT and OAIC on the roadmap to make available healthier rice, millets and value added products to the people of the state.
In this connection a workshop was organized by the Department of Agriculture to define the implementation strategy and institutional framework to raise farmers’ incomes sustainably while ensuring nutritional security through technology integration and inclusive value chains. There is significant potential for further exploitation of heritage rice varieties of Odisha, not only through increased production to expand their use as a cooked grain, but also through the development of value-added nutritious rice-based products from the low commodity broken rice and rice bran to fetch additional premium and thus contribute to the socio-economic development of Odisha’s farmers and other stakeholders. IRRI-developed nutritious rice varieties, currently under-utilized heritage rices and millets of Odisha will be used for preparing value added products at the processing facility which, the Dy CM announced, would be named the ‘Odisha Agricultural Centre of Excellence for Value Addition (Agri-CEVA). The facility will help position Odisha as a national leader in preventive nutrition, healthier food systems and value-added food products based on rice and millets, the Minister reiterated.
IRRI, will work closely with Department of Agriculture and Mission Shakti to contribute technical knowledge to strengthen healthy rice production, processing, logistics, traceability & quality certification and healthier rice value added products, while Agricultural Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (APICOL) will drive the market linkages and ensure sustained business plan to operationalize rice and millet specialty facility for strengthening domestic retail markets and export linkages to function as an integrated value chain. The processing-led agricultural transformation will reduce post-harvest losses, improve shelf-life and enable products originating in Odisha to reach distant domestic and overseas markets in processed and branded forms.
The project will also strengthen SHG-led value-added product enterprises by enhancing production capabilities, quality assurance and food safety practices, and providing continuous capacity building and mentorship to ensure sustainable livelihoods and market competitiveness. Agri-CEVA represents the next generation of agricultural transformation where farmers are connected directly to value addition, branding, processing and premium markets. The facility will support FPOs, women SHGs, Mission Shakti groups, startups and rural enterprises through shared infrastructure and common processing facilities.
“Our vision is clear. We want every farmer to earn more, every woman entrepreneur to grow confidently, every district to participate in value addition, and Odisha to emerge as a global destination for healthier rice, heritage rice and millet innovation.” Deputy Chief Minister, Agriculture & FE and Energy Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said.
‘Our objective is to build a future-ready institutional platform where policy support, innovation, entrepreneurship and market access collectively translate into prosperity for farmers and women stakeholders throughout Odisha’ Commissioner cum Secretary, Agriculture Sachin Ramachandra Jadhav stated.
