Bhubaneswar, September 24: Odisha has initiated an Integrated Cluster Development Initiative (ICDI) to promote economic growth through cluster-based development in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and dairy sectors.
The first consultative workshop on the initiative was held at Lok Seva Bhawan and jointly organised by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), NITI Aayog and the Odisha Planning and Convergence Department.
EAC-PM Chairman Prof S. Mahendra Dev stressed the need to shift from a production-focused approach to an agricultural income-oriented model, with greater emphasis on value addition, post-harvest management, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and cooperatives.
Puri and Ganjam have been identified for the pilot phase of the cluster initiative, with Angul, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur and Deogarh proposed for the next phase.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg emphasised linking agricultural production with processing, value addition and markets to strengthen the entire value chain. She also called for greater participation of women’s Self-Help Groups and stronger coordination among government departments, district administrations, financial institutions, research bodies and the private sector.
Officials highlighted opportunities in horticulture, fisheries and dairy. Odisha currently has around 6.53 lakh hectares under horticultural crops, with about 11.1 million metric tonnes of annual vegetable production. Around 3.83 lakh farmers are engaged in horticultural activities across 95 clusters.
The initiative will focus on strengthening production, cold-chain and processing facilities, FPOs, market linkages and exports. In fisheries, emphasis will be placed on deep-sea fishing, shrimp farming, reservoir fisheries and infrastructure, while the dairy strategy will focus on productivity, animal health, fodder, milk collection, chilling and value-added products.
The workshop also discussed field studies, value chains, market demand, exports, employment, inclusiveness and sustainability as key factors for identifying high-potential clusters.
