BHUBANESWAR: Kandhamal turmeric and Koraput ginger have been identified as potential commodities for development of value chains with focus on outreach to Germany and other European Union (EU) markets. Odisha is among three states where Agriculture Market Development (AMD) project has been piloted under Indo-German Cooperation, with an objective to support sustained economic growth in the agricultural sector and improved livelihoods in rural areas.
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are the other two states where AMD project is also piloted. Cumin and coriander of Rajasthan and mango and green chilli of Uttar Pradesh are included in the value chain for export to EU market.Famed for its organic ginger, the spice of Koraput had made its way to international market mostly to EU countries before the launch of the project.
Similarly, the ‘Kandhamal Haldi’, a variety of turmeric indigenous to southern Odisha, which had earned the geographical indication (GI) tag from Intellectual Property India in 2019, is in great demand both in domestic and international market.
“Three farmers producer organisations (FPOs) of Kandhamal and two FPOs of Koraput have been selected for extending skill and technical support for further development of the two selected species in agri-food value chains. About 30 members of the five FPOs will be sent to Hyderabad for training and the date for which is yet to be finalised,” informed sources in the Agriculture department.
The project endeavours to achieve three key results. The first is to enhance policy environment for agriculture market development and increase export potential, strengthen agriculture market development support services and to integrate target farmer organisations in market-oriented value chains and enhance their access to international (EU) markets.
The project has been designed as a demand-oriented framework, combining a dialogue concept at the macro level, with advice on technical processes at the state and micro (local) levels.
Odisha has been selected for Indo-German pilot project for the consistent growth in its economy. The average growth of Odisha has remained about 8 per cent compared to national average of about 6.9 per cent in the last seven years.