Bhubaneswar: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and implementing agencies like the IRRI, ICRISAT, ICARDA, MSSRF and AFC India Ltd at Krushi Bhavan on Tuesday for the implementation of Comprehensive Project on Rice Fallow Management in presence of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo.
Recognising the pressing need to address the underutilisation of around 16 lakh hectares of rice fallow areas and declining soil fertility, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment initiated the Comprehensive Project on Rice Fallow Management in 2022-23 with an initial target of 70,000 hectares.
This ambitious project aims to maximise the utilisation of residual soil moisture in these areas by cultivating short-duration pulses (green gram, black gram, Bengal gram, lentil, field pea and grass pea) and oilseeds crops (mustard and sesamum).
Building on the success of the first year, the project was scaled up significantly in 2023-24, covering 3.9 lakh hectares.
For the current year, an even more expansive programme is under implementation, targeting 4.55 lakh hectares. This includes 3.45 lakh hectares under the state-funded CRFM scheme and 1.10 lakh hectares under the Central government’s TRFA-Pulse and TRFA-Oilseed schemes.
To effectively implement the project and reach approximately 5 lakh beneficiaries across the state, the department has collaborated with renowned international and national institutions such as CGIAR-ICRISAT, IRRI, ICARDA, MSSRF, and AFC India Ltd. This collaboration will facilitate the timely dissemination of critical technologies.
A crop-specific input cafeteria is developed emphasising the use of bio-based inputs and IPM devices to promote sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices.
