Bhubaneswar: The 51st meeting of the Odisha State Seed Organic Product Certification Agency and the fifth governing board meeting of the Odisha State Organic Certification Agency were held on Friday under the chairmanship of Dr. Arabinda Padhee, Principal Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, at Krushi Bhavan.
The meetings focused on creating wider opportunities for organic farming, streamlining organic certification, and supporting certified seed farmers across the state. Officials said the government is intensifying efforts to promote organic cultivation, with plans to bring more farmland under the Balabhadra Organic Farming Mission.
At present, certified organic rice produced under the Amrit Anna project is already being used as kothabhog (offerings) at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri — a milestone that reflects the growing acceptance of organically grown produce in major state institutions.
Dr. Padhee urged officials to speed up the expansion of organic farming areas and involve more farmers in the certification process. He also highlighted the need to ensure timely access to quality seeds and strengthen certification mechanisms to support farmers.
The meeting was attended by Director of Agriculture Shubham Saxena, Director of Horticulture Kulange Gorakh Waman, officials from both certification agencies, governing board members, and farmer representatives.
On the occasion, a booklet featuring success stories of organic farmers certified by the Odisha State Organic Certification Agency, along with the annual reports of the Odisha State Seed Organic Product Certification Agency, was unveiled. Ravi Narayan Panda, Director of the Odisha State Seed Organic Product Certification Agency, coordinated the discussions.
