Odisha, the biggest sweet potato (Kandamul) producer in the country, now plans to serve the calorie-rich vegetable in midday meal in Government-run schools.
“Sweet potato has been cultivated in 48,000 hectares of land in the State producing 4 lakh tonnes this year. Attempts are being made to increase the production further,” said Director of Horticulture Sushanta Kumar Nanda.
He informed this to the media on the sidelines of a workshop on sweet potato production here on Friday. He also said attempts are being made by the Government to serve this tuberous vegetable to patients suffering malnutrition.
Currently, sweet potato is being cultivated in Koraput, Ganjam, Dhenkanal and Sundargarh districts. The Government is now planning to increase the production through cultivation in other districts. The horticulture department and the International Potato Centre are giving priority towards increasing its production.
The department, with serving sweet potato in midday meals, wants to increase its popularity and marketability by promoting various processed food made of the vegetable like chips, sauce, papad, roti and paratha.