The State Government on Tuesday signed an agreement with the Nashik-based National Horticulture Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) to make the State self-sufficient in onion, garlic and potato production.
State Horticulture Director Sushant Nanda and NHRDF Director Dr RP Gupta signed this agreement here in the presence of Chief Secretary GC Pati, Horticulture Principal Secretary Rajesh Verma and GA Special Secretary Nitin Chandra, an official release informed.
The State Government has handed over 50.92 acres of land belonging to the Boudh district’s Palijhar Agriculture Farm to the NHRDF for the purpose. The NHRDF would establish a training and production centre on the land to provide various modern technological knowhow on horticulture cultivation. Besides, the centre would produce around 15 to 20 onion seed, 200 to 250 metric tonne of onion clove and 30 to 40 tonne garlic seed and provide them to farmers across the State at cheaper prices.
For this, the State Government has decided make an outlay of Rs548.90 crore for two years under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). It may be noted that Odisha produces nearly 4 lakh tonnes of onion from 3,500 acres of land against consumption need of nearly 2.5 lakh tonnes. But due to lack of storing facilities, the State imports onion from outside in off seasons. However, the State doesn’t produce onion seeds.