Agriculture research centre soon in Mayurbhanj: Bishweswar Tudu

BARIPADA:  An agriculture and horticulture centre will soon be set up in Mayurbhanj district to help farmers, said Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu. 

Speaking to mediapersons here on Saturday, Tudu said Mayurbhanj is the largest district of Odisha and has vast tracts of agriculture land on which paddy and non-paddy crops are cultivated during both rabi and kharif seasons. “Several old and traditional methods of cultivation have vanished due to lack of interest of farmers. This apart, small farmers have given up agriculture since the government started giving them rice of Rs 1 a kg,” he said. 

The minister further said in order to motivate farmers, good quality seeds and saplings of various crops are needed. This will be possible once the research centre comes up in the district. He urged Mayurbhanj collector Vineet Bhardwaj to provide land for the centre. 

Slamming the state government, Tudu said the multipurpose Subarnarekha Irrigation Project, which remains incomplete, has not been able to meet the irrigation needs of the district. Even when Jharkhand is not releasing even a drop of water to the project, the Odisha government too has not yet taken any steps to resolve the issue.  

Tudu was at the 23rd felicitation ceremony organised by Babulal Agrawal Memorial on Saturday when he also said the Centre will intervene in the matter by calling a three-level committee (TLC) meeting among officials of both states. The Centre has approved restoration of 13 water bodies out of 19 in the district and tender  for five have already been floated. The Union government has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for development of Smibrukhsa, Devkund, Barehipani and Khiching in the district as tourist destinations, Tudu added.

“If the BJD government tries to obstruct any development work taken up by the Centre, we will directly intervene and implement the projects without any assistance from the state government,” Tudu said. He also informed the layout ceremony of Amarda airstrip in Rashgobindpur will be conducted in January.