Bhubaneswar, Aug 28 (IANS) The Odisha government’s Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DAFE) on Friday signed six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Department of Posts, Odisha Circle, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) to strengthen digital agriculture, seed systems, climate resilience, nutrition and farmer livelihoods.
The MoUs were signed in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and senior dignitaries of various agencies and the state government.
According to an official statement, the MoU with the Department of Posts, Odisha Circle, will strengthen last-mile delivery of digital agriculture services, particularly in rural and remote areas. Gramin Dak Sevaks will facilitate Farmer Registry enrolment and Farmer ID generation, along with CM KISAN registration, PM-KISAN e-KYC and NPCI/Aadhaar seeding.
The partnership with ICRISAT covers four RKVY-DPR projects focused on strengthening seed systems for pulses and oilseeds, promoting Atmanirbhar Odisha in pulses, chickpea seed production and speed breeding for improved and climate-resilient varieties. Officials said the collaboration aims to improve the availability of quality seed, promote crop diversification, increase productivity and strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate variability.
Additionally, under the partnership with MSSRF, a three-year Farming System for Nutrition project for 3,000 small and marginal farmers will be implemented in Nayagada. The project will integrate biofortified crops, pulses, vegetables, backyard poultry and aquaculture, along with seed banks, nutrition gardens and community processing units. It aims to improve yields of nutrient-dense crops, farmer incomes, dietary diversity and household nutrition.
The government emphasised that the ultimate success of the initiatives would be measured by their tangible impact on the incomes and livelihoods of farmers across Odisha.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy CM Singh Deo said the six MoUs marked a paradigm shift in Odisha’s agricultural landscape. He said leveraging Gramin Dak Sevaks for AgriStack enrolment and partnering with premier research institutions like ICRISAT and MSSRF would decentralise seed systems, empower smallholder farmers and tackle malnutrition at the grassroots level. “This holistic approach will ensure self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds while guaranteeing last-mile service delivery to every farming household in Odisha,” he added.
–IANS
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