Bhubaneswar: Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo today emphasized the need for proactive governance, inter-departmental coordination, and strong field-level supervision to ensure a productive, climate-resilient Rabi season in Odisha. His remarks came at the State Level Conference on Rabi Campaign 2025-26, held at Krushi Bhavan Auditorium.
Highlighting the government’s vision, Singh Deo said, “Unused agricultural farms can be converted for storage purposes. Strong leadership, dedicated supervision, and result-oriented implementation are essential to ensure that the benefits of these initiatives reach farmers.”
The Rabi Campaign 2025-26, approved by the Chief Secretary of Odisha on 22nd October 2025, aims to cover 29.30 lakh hectares under various crops. This includes 15.13 lakh hectares under pulses, 3.70 lakh hectares under oilseeds, 4.97 lakh hectares under vegetables, 1.15 lakh hectares under condiments, and 0.21 lakh hectares under sugarcane. The production targets are set at 23.26 lakh MT for food grains, 8.20 lakh MT for pulses, and 4.21 lakh MT for oilseeds.
DC-cum-ACS Anu Garg highlighted the importance of irrigation, noting that state reservoirs now have surplus water. “Our aim is to provide irrigation facilities to 90% of cultivable areas. Efficient water use is critical for agriculture,” she said.
Principal Secretary of Agriculture Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee underlined the strategic focus of the Rabi Programme on enhancing pulse and oilseed productivity, with the long-term goal of achieving self-sufficiency. He also noted the signing of an MoU between the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment (DAFP) and ICARDA for crop variety development.
The campaign stressed the need for focused implementation of national flagship schemes including Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), National Pulse Mission, NMEO-Oilseed, NFSM, National Horticulture Mission, Jackfruit Mission, and National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), alongside state initiatives like Shree Anna Abhiyan, Rice Fallow Management, and Balabhadra Jaivik Chasa Mission.
Officials also discussed the expansion of horticulture, promotion of modern technologies, and soil conservation and watershed development programs such as Coffee Mission, MGNREGS, Rainfed Area Development, and OMBADC to strengthen sustainability and resilience in agriculture.
All district Collectors have been issued a Rabi Circular by the Chief Secretary, Odisha to adopt district-specific strategies for Rabi crops. The conference was attended by OUAT VC Dr. Prabhat Kumar Roul, Director Agriculture Subham Saxena, Director Horticulture Kalunge Gorakh Waman, Director Soil Conservation Subrat Kumar Panda, and other senior officials.
