Bhubaneswar: In a move to boost value addition and farmer income through agri-based enterprises, the Odisha Government has decided to develop a state-based brand in jackfruit, focusing on large-scale cultivation, processing, and marketing.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, at Lokseva Bhawan today. The meeting was attended by Mithilesh Desai, Chairman of JackfruitKing Agro Producer Company Ltd., Maharashtra, along with senior state officials including Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, and Kalunge Gorakh Waman, Director of Horticulture.
Discussions centered around establishing Jackfruit Clusters on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with processing facilities in Kandhamal, Keonjhar, and Koraput, and expansion to six other districts under the state’s Mission program — Angul, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada, and Sundergarh.
It was also decided that agricultural and horticultural farms could be made available to the company for area expansion of jackfruit cultivation in the state, if necessary.
Recognizing the rich agro-biodiversity of western Odisha, the Padmapur sub-division of Bargarh and Patnagarh sub-division of Bolangir districts will also be brought under the Jackfruit Mission. To facilitate knowledge exchange, exposure visits for farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) will be organized to Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, where jackfruit-based agribusiness has achieved remarkable success.
Emphasizing the initiative’s long-term vision, Deputy Chief Minister Singh Deo said, “Odisha will develop its own brand in jackfruit. Our focus is on end-to-end integration — from cultivation and processing to market linkage — ensuring sustainable livelihoods and value creation for our farmers.”
