Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra has emphasized enhancing the production of vegetables and fruits in the State for meeting the internal market demand. At the meeting of the State Level Sanctioning Committee on Micro Irrigation today, Mahapatra reviewed the progress made to enhance the production of fruits and vegetables in the State. Additional Chief Secretary and Agriculture Production Commissioner Sanjeev Chopra outlined the issues regarding micro irrigation under PMKSY.
Mahapatra directed to make a detailed study on the production and requirement of the fruits and vegetables like mango, guava, papaya, lemon, onion and tomato in the State. He asked the department of horticulture to enhance the production of these crops through definite action plan, and popularization of micro irrigation. The department was also asked to work at tandem with water resources department for intensifying micro-irrigation interventions in ayacut areas of different irrigation projects.
He said that the popularization of sprinklers and drip methods would optimize the use of water. These methods while enhancing efficiency of the ayacht area and sustainability of irrigation sources will also increase the productivity of the land. The horticulture directorate was asked to promote sprinkler, drip and HDPE pipe schemes among the farmers having their land near bore well, deep-well and minor irrigation points.
Special Secretary Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Sanjeev Kumar Chadha informed that the cluster approach was adopted for promotion of banana, guava and papaya in the districts like Barhargh, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Gajapati, Angul, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Boudh, Jajpur and Nayagarh. A total of around 1015 hectors in these districts have were brought under such fruit crops in the year 2021-22. Target was fixed to promote these crops over more 1260 hectors during the current year.
During 2021-22, around Rs 62 crore were invested for prompting sprinkler and drip methods of irrigation with the outcome of 31,038 hectors of medium and high land land being brought under irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation was found more popular among the farmers. Mahapatra gave nod to Action plan of around Rs. 531 cr for the year 2022-23. This fund would be invested for promotion of vegetables, pulses, oilseeds, coconut and plantation of fruit species over one lakh hector high and medium land with micro irrigation sprinkler, drip HDPE pipe and pump sets methods of irrigation.
PMKSY is being implemented in the State with funding support from both the Central and State governments. Substantial subsidy on cost of these micro irrigation implements is available to farmers on these micro irrigation implements. The subsidy varies from 80 to 60 percent depending on social category of the farmers viz. ST and S , small and marginal, and general.
Among others, Principal Secretary Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Ashok Mumar Meena, Principal Secretary Finance Vishal Kumar Dev, Special Secretary Water Resources Archana Patnaik, and other senior officials participated in the meeting.
