Bhubaneswar: To strengthen data-driven policymaking in the agriculture sector, the second phase of the “Capacity Building Training on Data Interpretation and Economic Impact Analysis” was successfully conducted in Bhubaneswar. The two-day programme was jointly organized by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Government of Odisha, and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Inaugurating the training, Additional Secretary Subhransu Mishra emphasized that the strategic use of data is already yielding measurable improvements in Odisha’s agriculture planning and evaluation. “This training is vital to sustain the momentum of transformation in our sector,” he remarked.
The event brought together around 50 participants, including officers from the agriculture department and representatives from leading development organizations such as PRADAN, Samagra, ACCESS Development Services, Centre for Sustainable Markets (CSM), WASSAN, Niruthi, and the Indian School of Business (ISB).
Deputy Director of Agriculture Dr. Sangram Keshari Patnaik and Assistant Director Shri Nagan Kumar Mallick highlighted the critical need to build internal capacity for data interpretation. They noted that such initiatives promote innovation, accountability, and more responsive service delivery to farmers.
The training focused on building practical knowledge of data analysis, visualization, and economic impact assessment in the agriculture sector. Participants were trained on using major datasets like the NSSO, Census of Agriculture, and the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), and analytical tools such as Excel, STATA, R, and Python. IFPRI experts led hands-on sessions and encouraged participants to implement the knowledge in real-world planning and policy formulation.
Certificates were distributed to all participants at the conclusion of the training. The programme underscored the Odisha government’s ongoing commitment to leveraging data and evidence-based insights to lead the agricultural sector forward, thereby contributing to the overall economic growth of the state.