Bhubaneswar: Organic farming, organic certification, and the availability of certified seeds are creating new opportunities for farmers across the state, said Dr.Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary Agriculture & Farmer’s Empowerment.
A joint meeting of the Odisha State Seed Organic Product Certification Board and the Odisha State Organic Certification Board was held recently at the Krishi Bhawan Conference Hall in Bhubaneswar.
The meeting, which was the 51st for the former and the fifth for the latter, was chaired by Dr. Padhee, Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Department.
Dr.Padhee highlighted the state government’s significant encouragement to organic farming and announced plans to include more farmland under the Balabhadra Organic Farming Mission in the near future.
He also mentioned that certified organic rice is currently being supplied for use in the ‘Koth Bhog’ preparation at the Shrimandir Puri under the ‘Amrit Anna Project’.
Dr. Padhee urged the attendees to focus on expanding the area under organic cultivation throughout Odisha and to ensure more farmers are brought into the official certification process. He also stressed the importance of ensuring that farmers receive the correct seeds and timely certification.
Key officials present at the event included Shri Shubham Saxena, Director of the Agriculture Department, and Shri Kulange Gorakh Waman, Director of Horticulture. The meeting also saw the participation of agricultural officers, management committee members, and farmer representatives from the Odisha State Seed Organic Certification Agency and the Odisha State Seed Organic Certification Agency.
During the session, a booklet featuring the stories of successful farmers was released. Additionally, the annual report booklets for both the Odisha State Seed Organic Certification Agency and the Odisha State Seed Organic Certification Agency were released. Ravi Narayan Panda, Director of the Odisha State Seed Organic Certification Agency, led the discussion on the agenda items during the meeting.