Odisha taken long strides in foodgrains production: Naveen

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Thursday that the state has taken long strides in foodgrain production which reached 130 lakh tonne in 2021 surpassing all past records.Addressing an induction programme of 22 assistant agriculture officers and 53 officials of the Odisha Cashew Development Corporation, the chief minister said that food production has doubled in the state during the last 20 years. Stating that Odisha is a top performing state in cashew production, he said it has a huge potential in employment and income generation.

The CM said agriculture holds the key to socio-economic development in the state and the government has laid emphasis on development of this sector through various interventions supported by a comprehensive, inclusive state agriculture policy. Agriculture and allied sectors contribute nearly 21 per cent to the gross state value added products in the state.

Naveen said services under the sector have been brought under the umbrella of 5T and Mo Sarkar with the objective of enhancing the delivery mechanism and reach out to every farmer.The chief minister also joined an orientation programme of 240 assistant managers and 26 system managers who were inducted into service in different central cooperative banks at the district level. He said the farmers will benefit from this by way of better service delivery under financial inclusion and credit dispensation.