Odisha releases draft Agriculture Policy 2019

Odisha government on Friday released draft state Agriculture Policy 2019 aimed at the continuation of Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme for the next five years and steps for increasing income of farmers.

"Odisha's Agriculture Policy 2019 is focused on farmers' well-being and is formulated to build on the inherent strengths of its agriculture and allied sectors, to address the constraints it faces and to make optimal use of resources and opportunities emerging on account of advancement in technology, and the emergence of accelerated economic growth in the state and the country," the policy states.

This policy will actualise the vast untapped potential of Odisha agriculture, strengthen the economic and social well-being of its farmers, sharecroppers, and landless labourers while ensuring the growth process is environmentally, economically and technologically inclusive, scalable and sustainable.

The Odisha government announced its first agriculture policy in 1996 and subsequent policies were announced in 2008 and 2013.

The state farmers' incomes grew more than seven times between 2002-03 and 2015-16. During this period, the monthly average income of a farmer was increased from Rs 1,062 to Rs 7,731 indicating a growth of 16.5 per cent in nominal terms and 8.4 per cent in real terms.

The state Agriculture Policy will adopt a 360-degree reform-approach to achieve continuous growth in farmer incomes and to ensure sustainable, stable and scalable agricultural growth.