BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday signed MoUs with the Department of Posts (Odisha Circle), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) to strengthen digital agriculture, seed systems, climate resilience, nutrition and farmer livelihoods.
Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo said these will lead to decentralising the seed delivery system, empowering small farmers and tackling malnutrition at the grassroots level. He said that these can be achieved by using the vast network of Gramin Dak Sevaks for AgriStack registration and partnering with research institutions like ICRISAT and MSSRF.
Singh Deo said the MoU with the Department of Posts, Odisha Circle will strengthen the last-mile delivery of digital agriculture services, particularly in rural and remote areas. Gramin Dak Sevaks will facilitate farmer registry enrolment and farmer ID generation, CM KISAN registration, PM KISAN e-KYC and NPCI/Aadhaar seeding, besides other farmer-centric digital services in future, as required.
The partnership with ICRISAT covers projects under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), focused on strengthening seed systems for pulses and oilseeds, promoting Atmanirbhar Odisha in pulses, chickpea seed production and speed breeding for improved and climate-resilient varieties, he said.
An agreement was signed with the MSSRF to implement a three-year farming project in Nayagarh district for 3,000 small and marginal farmers. The project will integrate bio-fortified crops, pulses, vegetables, backyard poultry and aquaculture, along with seed banks, nutrition gardens and community processing units. It aims to improve yields of nutrient-dense crops, farmer incomes, dietary diversity and household nutrition.