Indus Valley Times

By Amar Barik

Dhamra,Nov. 15: To enable the farmers in adoption and engagement in dual cropping, Horticulture and production of high value crop in Adani Dhamra Port vicinity, Adani Foundation – the CSR arm of Adani Group of Companies has been undertaking various knowledge and skills enhancement programme. As the part of the programmes, the farmers are being introduced & linked to different government schemes and provided with onsite, classroom and organizational based capacity building programmes in collaboration with Government, quasi-government and other organization.

As the part of the initiatives, a team of 45 farmers from 09 port periphery GPs were taken to TATA Steel Foundation, Gopalpur, Berhampur and CHES, Bhubaneswar on an exposure visit on 10th and 11th November 2021. At TATA Steel Foundation, the farmers were exposed to climate resilience agriculture projects including the Solar Based Drip Irrigation Project, Controlled cultivation of Dutch Rose under Polyhouse, Mushroom Cultivation, and Milk aggregation at Berhampur Municipal Corporation after the initial overview of various projects and initiatives undertaken by TATA Steel Foundation at Punjab National Bank Farmers Training Centre at Karapalli, Berhampur.

Subsequent to the visit to TATA Steel CSR Project area, the farmers were taken to Central Horticultural Experiment Station (CHES – ICAR), Bhubaneswar, where Dr. Govind Chandra Acharya, Head and Principal Scientist, CHES and Mr. Manoj Patanaik, Technical Officer, CHES have exposed the farmers to different climate resilience horticulture initiatives like high value crops (Inter cropping of queen variety Pine Apple, Turmaric, Ginger etc in Mango Orchard), promotion of Dragon Fruit farming, trailless method of vegetable cultivation etc  for livelihood promotion of farmers. The handholding training was also provided to the farmers on preparation and technical methods of fruit and brinjal crop grafting, Air layering – Gooty in Sapeta and Guava plant. The farmers were also provided with the knowledge of various training opportunities being provided by CHES round the year.

The visit has open the space for Adani Foundation in building capacity of local farmers through training programmes being conducted by CHES and Institute of Management Agriculture Extension (IMAGE), Bhubaneswar in coming future.

This is also to be noted here that, with the support of Adani Foundation in FY 2019-20, 45 Farmers were taken to Maa Mati training center, Dandamakundapur of Pipili and organic farming orchard of commercial & exotic vegetables developed by Mr. Ratikanta Sahoo of Betada village of Basudebpur block, Bhadrak. The foundation has been extending technical input, seed & farm implement support to local farmers directly and capacity building in collaboration with KVK. It has also facilitated in implementation of Paddy Line Transplanting in 150 acre of land benefitting 99 farmers in 2020-21 under state plan and BGREI sponsored  scheme covering 650 acre of land benefitting 444 farmers in this financial year 2020-21. As of now more than 2500 small and marginal farmers are benefitted out of the agricultural and Horticultural initiatives of Adani Foundation.