BHUBANESWAR: The state government has initiated the process for a third-party evaluation of the state sector scheme ‘Development of Potato, Vegetables and Spices’, which has been under implementation from the financial year 2022-23 to 2025-26.
As the scheme, planned for five years beginning 2021-22 but delayed by two years, is going to be over by the end of the current financial year, the move aims to assess the impact in the last three years and guide policy decisions on its future continuation.
The directorate of Horticulture has requested the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar, to undertake an independent impact assessment study of the scheme preferably by the director, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the university. The evaluation is expected to examine outcomes related to area expansion, yield improvement, adoption of improved technologies and overall benefits accrued to farmers.
Sources in the directorate said the findings of the impact assessment would serve as a crucial input for evidence-based decision-making, particularly in determining whether the scheme should be continued, restructured or scaled up in the coming years. The evaluation is also expected to highlight best practices, implementation gaps and scope for strengthening horticulture interventions in the state.
With major focus on area expansion under potato and onion cultivation to minimise its dependence on other states, the Agriculture department had planned to increase kharif and rabi potato crops from 7,500 hectare in 2022-23 to 41,000 hectare and onion crop area from 5,400 hectare to 41,000 hectare. The state has planned to cover 21,750 hectare during the current rabi season as against 12,374 hectare in 2024.
The maximum allowable subsidy for the two crops was Rs 58,000 per acre (the maximum area limited to 2 acre) which is 40 per cent of the total cost of cultivation of Rs 1.45 lakh per acre.