Jeypore, Nov 29: For the upcoming Rabi season 2025–26, cultivation targets have been set in the district as follows: 4,980 hectares for paddy, 450 hectares for maize, 100 hectares for ragi (mandia), 10 hectares for wheat, 49,010 hectares for various pulses, 21,930 hectares for oilseed crops, 24,700 hectares for total vegetable cultivation, 4,000 hectares for spices, and 2,400 hectares for sugarcane. Special emphasis has been placed on potato and onion, which face shortages every year. To make the district self-sufficient in these two crops, 1,650 hectares will be used for potato cultivation and 1,200 hectares for onion cultivation.
Similarly, irrigation plans include: 4,694.18 hectares under major irrigation, 5,810 hectares under minor irrigation, 3,300.28 hectares under major lift irrigation, and 30,188 hectares under minor lift irrigation. For the Rabi season, 9,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer will be used, and emphasis has been placed on ensuring timely supply of seeds to farmers.
On Thursday afternoon, a meeting of the Agriculture Strategy Determination Committee was held in the conference hall of the District Collector’s office, chaired by Additional District Magistrate (Revenue) Shibananda Swain, organized by the district administration and the district agriculture department. He stated that the government has implemented many schemes for the benefit of farmers, and departmental officers must ensure that farmers receive the full benefits of each scheme.
He advised departmental officers to effectively implement integrated farming systems, the Chief Minister’s Agriculture Enterprise Scheme, farmer registration, the digital crop survey program, and to widely publicize these schemes so farmers become fully aware of them.
During the meeting, District Chief Agriculture Officer Tapan Kumar Mohapatra discussed and provided information on seed supply, chemical fertilizers, crop protection, soil testing, solar irrigation, the National Food Security Mission, the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, horticulture, and soil conservation.
The meeting, chaired by Additional District Magistrate (Revenue) Shibananda Swain, was attended by Assistant Director (Horticulture) Radheshyam Behera, KVK Scientist Munil Kumar Mohapatra, officials from the irrigation department, cooperative registrars, cooperative society representatives, the NABARD District Development Manager, lead bank officials, departmental officers, and block-level officers, who all participated in the discussion.