BHUBANESWAR: The department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment on Friday signed MoUs with four corporations for support to farmers in 2025-26.
The MoUs were signed with the Odisha Agro-Industrial Corporation (OAIC), Odisha Agriculture Promotion and Capital Investment Corporation Limited (APICOL), Odisha State Seed Corporation Limited (OSSCL) and Odisha State Cashew Development Corporation Limited (OSCDCL) in the presence of deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo.
Official sources said OAIC has set a target to purchase 45,000 tonnes of fertiliser, organic fertiliser and pesticides worth Rs 20 crore, 7,000 tractors, 1,000 power tillers and other agricultural machinery, 5,200 electric-powered small lift irrigation projects, 4,800 solar water tank projects and 1,000 shallow tube well projects. A total turnover of Rs 1,000 crore has been targeted for corporation which will assist the farmers.
The APICOL aims to create 6,500 business enterprises and provide subsidies worth Rs 250 crore. Of the total, Rs 200 crore has been earmarked for Mukhyamantri Krushi Udyog Yojana (MKUY) and Rs 50 crore for Cold Storage Support Scheme.
Under this collaboration, both the parties will work together to promote seed replacement and varietal improvement through a coordinated farmer awareness campaign. A turnover target of `56 crore has been set for the corporation for this.
OSCDCL will take up 500 hectares of hybrid cashew replantation programme and maintenance of trees in over more than 1336.22 hectares. In addition, it has a target for production of 35 lakhs hybrid cashew grafts from its existing 20 clonal nurseries. The deputy chief minister said the Agriculture department is one of the prominent departments that has spent 94.7 per cent of the approved budget.