Bhubaneswar: Odisha plans to strengthen its rice and millet value chains through a dedicated processing and innovation facility aimed at promoting healthier food products, increasing farmers’ incomes and creating new business opportunities for women-led enterprises.
Deputy Chief Ministers Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida visited the upcoming specialty rice and millet value addition facilities and Odisha Bazar at Baramunda in Bhubaneswar. They held discussions with scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and officials of the Agriculture Department, Mission Shakti, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) and Odisha Agro Industries Corporation (OAIC) on making healthier rice, millets and value-added products more accessible to people.
The visit was accompanied by a workshop organised by the Agriculture Department to work out the implementation strategy and institutional framework for the initiative. The focus was on raising farmers’ incomes through technology integration and inclusive value chains while strengthening nutritional security.
The proposed processing facility will be named the Odisha Agricultural Centre of Excellence for Value Addition (Agri-CEVA). It will use IRRI-developed nutritious rice varieties, Odisha’s heritage rice varieties and millets to develop a range of value-added food products.
The initiative will also explore the potential of using broken rice and rice bran, which are often sold as low-value commodities, to develop nutritious products that can fetch better prices. Alongside expanding the use of heritage rice varieties as cooked grain, the project aims to create additional income opportunities for farmers and other stakeholders.
Singh Deo said the facility would help position Odisha as a national leader in preventive nutrition, healthier food systems and value-added products based on rice and millets.
“Our vision is clear. We want every farmer to earn more, every woman entrepreneur to grow confidently, every district to participate in value addition, and Odisha to emerge as a global destination for healthier rice, heritage rice and millet innovation,” he said.
Under the proposed arrangement, IRRI will work with the Agriculture Department and Mission Shakti to provide technical support in healthy rice production, processing, logistics, traceability, quality certification and the development of value-added products. The Agricultural Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (APICOL) will focus on market linkages and developing a sustainable business plan for the facility, connecting it with domestic retail markets and export opportunities.
The processing-led initiative is expected to reduce post-harvest losses, improve product shelf-life and help Odisha-origin products reach wider domestic and international markets in processed and branded forms.
Agri-CEVA will also support Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Mission Shakti groups, startups and rural enterprises through shared infrastructure and common processing facilities. Special emphasis will be placed on strengthening SHG-led enterprises through improved production capabilities, quality assurance, food safety practices, capacity building and continuous mentorship.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Agriculture Department Sachin Ramachandra Jadhav said the objective was to create a future-ready institutional platform that brings together policy support, innovation, entrepreneurship and market access to improve the livelihoods of farmers and women stakeholders across Odisha.
