Nabarangpur district will soon have its own high-tech nursery high yielding quality planting material of horticultural crops developed by the ICAR-IIHR.
The high tech nursery is being developed at Govindalaya's Centre of Empowerment, Soruguda village under Dangarbheja Panchayat in Nandahandi Block through a unique initiative “Farm based S and T Interventions for Socio-economic Development in the Aspirational District of Nabarangpur, Odisha’ for creating new horticulture based avenues for scoio-economic development of the tribal-dominated Nabarangpur district.
The Rashtriya Krushi Vikas Yojana funded project implemented by 12 national level science and technology institutions, under the guidance of the district administration, aims at creating farm based economic avenues for enhancement of income of locals, while engaging farm women within their Panchayat for generating supplementary income. Recently, the district administration was awarded with the prestigious National Skotch Platinum Award for its efforts in implementation of the project.
Bhumi Pujan for the High-Tech nursery was solemnized recently in the presence of DDA Brijkishore Lenka, DDH Pratyosh Kumar Panda, Principal Scientist of CHES(ICAR-IIHR) Dr Petikam Srinivas and Chairman of Govindalaya Shanmuga Patro along with the office bearers and members of the Maa Mahima Self Help Group which will operate the nursery.
During the occasion Dr P Srinivas informed that the nursery will serve as production-cum-distribution-cum-sale centre of quality planting material of high yielding fruits, vegetables and flower crops developed by the ICAR-IIHR through Centre for Horticulture Experiment Station (CHES), a regional centre of ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (ICAR-IIHR), Bangalore, for the benefit of the farmers of Nabarangpur and adjoining districts.
DDA Brijkishore Lenka expressed his best wishes for the initiative and hoped that it would be able to cater to the need of planting material of horticultural crops of the region leading to prosperity in tribal dominated aspirational district of Nabarangpur. DDH Pratyosh Kumar Panda appreciated the efforts being taken to increase the diversity of horticultural crops in the region through the hi-tech nursery and assured his personal support and guidance to the SHG in technical aspects of nursery management.
Chairman of Govindalaya Shanmuga Patro, who spared space in his Centre of Empowerment for this endeavor for the benefit of the local farmers, assured his full patronage and guidance in ensuring the commercial viability of the venture which will in turn earn additional income for the SHG and other participating farmers. Other dignitaries present on the occasion also conveyed their best wishes for the initiative.
On July 7, the team led by Principal Scientist Dr P Srinivas imparted training to the SHG members, in three batches, on necessary skills for propagation of planting material of mango, guava, pine apple, jackfruit, ivy gourd, teasel gourd, marigold, tuberose, etc., CHES, Bhubaneswar supplied the mother planting materials.
