Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has initiated a fresh push to revive and expand sugarcane cultivation across the state, with Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Friday reviewing strategies to improve productivity, strengthen sugar mills and ensure better returns for farmers.
At a high-level meeting in Bhubaneswar, Singh Deo reviewed the current status of sugarcane cultivation, including acreage, production, crop yields and the comparative economic viability of the crop for farmers. The meeting also examined the existing capacity of sugar mills and ongoing interventions under the Technology Mission on Sugarcane Development (TMSD) and the Cooperation Department.
The discussions focused on ensuring the supply of quality seed cane, adopting modern farming practices, expanding irrigation facilities, promoting mechanisation and strengthening linkages between sugarcane growers and sugar mills.
The meeting also examined demands raised by the Odisha Sugarcane Farmers’ Association for additional financial incentives and better remunerative returns to encourage farmers to take up sugarcane cultivation.
Emphasising coordinated efforts, the meeting called for concerted action by the Agriculture and Cooperation departments, along with industry stakeholders, to make sugarcane farming economically viable and sustainable and strengthen its contribution to Odisha’s agricultural economy.
Among those present were Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Cooperation Commissioner-cum-Secretary Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Director of Agriculture and Food Production Poma Tudu, Director of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Subrat Kumar Panda and other senior officials.
