Odisha Partners with Paradeep Phosphates to Upgrade Farmers Training School in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has partnered with Paradeep Phosphates Limited (PPL) under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to improve training facilities and strengthen agricultural extension services at the Farmers Training School of the State Institute for Training and Extension (SITE), Baramunda, Bhubaneswar.

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with PPL for the operation and management of the training school. The initiative, taken under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, aims to bring private-sector expertise into the State’s agricultural capacity-building programmes.

Under the agreement, PPL will facilitate training programmes throughout the year for farmers and agricultural personnel. The company will also be responsible for campus maintenance, round-the-clock security and garden development. It will bear 40 per cent of the monthly electricity expenses and deploy a dedicated technical expert at SITE to provide real-time agricultural advisory services.

The partnership is expected to improve farmers’ access to modern agricultural technologies, strengthen technical knowledge and encourage entrepreneurship in the farm sector. It will also focus on creating rural employment opportunities for young people, particularly through the promotion of Agro-Service Centres.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Director of Agriculture Dr Poma Tudu, APICOL Managing Director Shubhranshu Mishra and PPL Zonal Manager Dr B. K. Singh, along with senior officials.

The collaboration is aimed at developing SITE into a stronger centre for agricultural training, technology transfer and extension services, while creating a framework for greater private-sector participation in agricultural development across Odisha.