BHUBANESWAR: A 28-member delegation comprising farmers and officials from Odisha embarked on a seven-day agricultural exposure visit to Malaysia. The visit was flagged off by deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo here on Friday.
Singh Deo told mediapersons that the team will learn about the cropping pattern in Malaysia using scientific methods in the horticulture sector and mushroom cultivation. They will also study machinery usage in traditional agriculture, emphasising the importance of recording daily reports and implementing best practices to double farmers’ income.
He highlighted Odisha’s prominent position in fruit and vegetable exports. The state had record production of 14.3 million tonnes of food grains and 14.48 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables last year. It also ranks fourth in supplying rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), he said.
“The visit will assist further development of the sector. The team has asked to submit report within three days of its return from Malaysia,” he said.
The visit is jointly organised by the department of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Bankers Institute of Rural Development (BIRD) of Lucknow and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).