In Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, the state government is aiming to produce 350,000 tonnes of potato this rabi season, under the potato mission launched last year to make Odisha self-sufficient in tuber production. The government plans to spend 2.67 billion Rs through the mission till 2023-24 with an aim to bridge the demand-supply gap.
Directorate of horticulture sources said 4,100 farmers have registered under the mission and will raise the vegetable on 2,200 hectares in the state. Several unregistered farmers (more than 1,000) are also growing the tuber. The farmers are being provided with financial assistance under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to grow potatoes. The directorate purchased seeds from the National Seeds Corporation Limited (NSCL) and distributed them among the farmers at a subsidized rate.
Sub-standard seeds from NSCL allegedly led to crop loss in Kandhamal last kharif season. Altogether, 497 farmers of around 100 villages in Daringbadi and Tumudibandh blocks had cultivated tuber on 137 acres on an experimental basis under the mission. The government sanctioned Rs 23,100 per hectare after the farmers demanded compensation for crop loss. Since an absence of storage facilities has been a concern for farmers, the government has decided to set up 46 cold stores, there are currently 27 and 15 are scheduled for construction.
