Bhubaneswar: Odisha is set to emerge as a seed hub for pulses as part of the state’s strategy to contribute to the Prime Minister’s vision of making India self-reliant in food production.
A high-level meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Thursday reviewed plans for an intensive agriculture programme focused on the revival and sustainable intensification of forgotten foods.
The meeting emphasized advancing India’s goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat in pulses by promoting large-scale cultivation of pigeonpea, black gram, and lentils through a cluster approach.
Highlighting innovation in crop research, officials from ICRISAT presented a newly developed variety of pigeonpea—ICPV 25444—which can withstand temperatures up to 45°C, be grown in all seasons, and mature within 120 days.
The Deputy Chief Minister described this heat-tolerant and fast-maturing crop as a potential game changer for achieving self-reliance in pulses.
He further advised that this new variety be cultivated alongside Odisha’s traditional pigeonpea varieties, such as Dangararani and Kandula, which are being revived by the Odisha State Seeds Corporation Ltd.
“Odisha should become a seed hub under Atmanirbhar in pulses,” Singh Deo emphasized.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment; Shubham Saxena, Director of Agriculture; Kalunge Gorakh Waman, Director of Horticulture; and senior officers from the Agriculture Department, Directorate of Horticulture, Directorate of Agriculture & Food Production, ICRISAT, and ICARDA.
