Bhubaneswar: The Chairman of Maharashtra JackfruitKing Agro Producer Company Ltd., Mithilesh Desai, paid a courtesy visit to the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, at Lok Seva Bhawan on Thursday. The discussion focused on jackfruit cultivation and processing in the state.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chief Minister Singh Deo, in the presence of Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary to the Government, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment (DA & FE), Kalunge Gorakh Waman, Director of Horticulture, and other senior officials.
Discussions were held regarding the development of jackfruit clusters under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, with processing facilities proposed in Kandhamal, Keonjhar, and Koraput, as well as in six other mission districts: Angul, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada, and Sundergarh. It was decided that agricultural/horticultural farms may be made available to the company for the expansion of jackfruit cultivation in the state, if required.
Additionally, it was agreed to include the Padmapur sub-division of Bargarh district and the Patnagarh sub-division of Bolangir district under the Jackfruit Mission, given their agro-biodiversity. Exposure visits will be arranged for farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to the Ratnagiri region of Maharashtra to enhance their understanding of the jackfruit business ecosystem.
The focus will be on end-to-end integration. An Odisha-based jackfruit brand will also be developed, as stated by Deputy Chief Minister Singh Deo.
