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The following is from Page 3 of the document at http://mofpi.nic.in/images/File/volume2.pdf. Thanks to Devasis Sarangi for the pointer.

Following are excerpts from a report in Business Standard.

Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd.’s textiles division plans to go for organic cotton contract farming in Gujarat, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh in a big way.

The company aims to cover 30,000 hectares in these states. For a start the company has finalised on 2,000 hectares of organic contract farming in Orissa.

The company’s organic home linen segment is witnessing a great demand in the European and the US markets. The company is planning to go in for a tie-up with the National Institute of Fashion Technology(NIFT) to allow the students to go in for internships at GHCL units and to tap talents for their facility.

Neeraj Jalan, General Manager, GHCL, told Business Standard: “We are aiming to cover around 30,000 hectares under contract farming for organic cotton. We have identified three states for this which included Gujarat, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. We have finalised around 2,000 hectares of land for contract farming in Orissa.

Telegraph has a nice article on organic turmeric from Kandhamala and its marketing. Following are some excerpts.

But finally the precious haldi was traced to a small shop at the back of Ekamra Haat, Bhubaneswar’s equivalent of Dilli Haat, showcasing handicrafts and products made by tribals. …

The golden yellow Kandhamal haldi, named after the district where it is produced, is creating ripples in the world of spices. The spice has made its way to shelves across the United States, several countries in Europe, including Germany and Netherlands, besides Japan because of its organic value. It smells just right, lasts longer and only a pinch adds the colour and the flavour to the food. And it is of course devoid of toxic elements and chemicals. …

In the district, about 12,000 hectare is diverted for turmeric cultivation and dry haldi weighing 10,000 metric tonne is produced every year. Kandhamal haldi is famous for its colour, texture, aroma, flavour and long shelf life.

The curcumic content in it is claimed to be the highest in the country, to be recognised soon by the Union Control of Holland, a certifying agency engaged to certify its purity.

The spices are being marketed by Omfed, Aryan International, New Delhi; Samiter India, Mumbai; ABC International, Bangalore and Aricha Trading, Calcutta. But as the experience in Bhubaneswar shows, most of it gets exported. Till 2003, however, traders from Berhampur continued to purchase dry turmeric from tribals for paltry sums.

However, the idea of organised turmeric farming on Kandhamal terrain stuck Omfed. It started a government-sponsored project called Kandhamal Women’s Organic Turmeric project (KWOTP) in 2003. …

But soon, we realised the potential for turmeric plantation. Each family in the district had at least a field where they grew turmeric. We knew that if we could channelise the whole thing, there would be no stopping. Soon, societies were formed, training imparted, improved varieties of seed were supplied and marketing of the product under the brand Kandhamal haldi started.”

Currently Omfed directly supervises 305 all-women societies that work for the project and the production has leaped form 250 quintal to 2,937 quintals in a span of four years. This apart the product is being processed and packaged to be sold though Omfed’s existing distribution channel (marketing outlets and booths) across the state.

This apart, two other units named Samanwita and Kasam, who have their processing plant where the Omfed turmeric is packed and independently marketed.

The news report mentions that:

Amit Spinning, which was a leading spinner in the country, has now moved into organic cotton farming with 10,000 acres of farmland under organic cotton in Gujarat and a similar size in Orissa.

New Indian Express reports that the central govt. has suggested that Orissa apply for an agricultural export zone. Following are excerpts from that article.

Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday hinted that an Agriculture Export Zone (AEZ) in Orissa could be considered once the proposal for the same was received by the Centre.

Ramesh, who met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat, told reporters that the AEZ would be established in Kandhmal for organic turmeric. …

The State Government has already identified land for establishment of the AEZ in Kandhmal where a majority of the tribals cultivate organic turmeric.

Ramesh said that he requested the Chief Minister to concentrate more on export of organic coffee from Koraput, ginger and turmeric from Kandhmal and Sal from Mayurbhanj which could generate more employment opportunities.

The Union Minister said that Orissa exported goods worth Rs 10,400 crore last year, 90 per cent of which accounted for minerals only while the handicraft and other non-traditional products had a very negligible share.

Though Orissa is known for its famous handicraft, the export of such products stood only at 3 to 4 per cent of the total export of the country. Ramesh said the State had exported marine products to the tune of Rs 350 crore last year adding that this has to cross Rs 1000 crore in the next five years.

The Centre, he said, would sanction a cold storage for perishable products in Bhubaneswar and another for marine products in Paradip soon.

Statesman reports on several strategies that were discussed on agriculture and horticulture. Following are some excerpts of that report.

The government has decided to encourage contract farming in cotton and has fixed a target of covering 60,000 hectors under such contract farming during 2007-08. To ensure renumerative price for cotton growers, two additional mandis will be set up in Ganjam and Gajapati districts.

With floriculture having tremendous potential in the state, the government has planned a mandi in Bhubaneswar. Among other proposals discussed today were the steps to encourage organic farming in Phulbani district and aromatic rice in Koraput district. Women Self Help Groups will be encouraged to undertake fishery activities.
Simultaneously, measures to train farmers will be stepped up. Last year, over 23,000 farmers were trained and over the next four years, another 3.32 lakh farmers will be trained, said official sources.

Cashew, mango and banana will be promoted and targets for such plantations were fixed for 2007-08. Primary seed replacement, seed production and other measures in this regard were also discussed.

PRESS RELEASE 29.05.2007 (CM ATTENDS NDC MEETING)

GOVERNMENT OF ORISSA

PRESS RELEASE

New Delhi

May 29, 2007

NAVEEN PATNAIK DEMANDS HIGHER ALLOCATION FOR ORISSA

TO CORRECT THE NEGLECT OF THE CENTRE

Speaking at the 53rd meeting of the National Development Council in their special session on Food and Agriculture, the Chief Minister, Shri Naveen Patnaik today demanded that the historical neglect for Eastern States like Orissa should be corrected during the 11th Plan.The advanced States of the country have had the benefit of huge public investment in irrigation and other related infrastructure in the past and the Eastern States have lost out in this race, he said. He pointed out that the various Working Groups on Agriculture have observed that the Eastern region has the maximum potential for agricultural growth during the 11th Five Year Plan and therefore region specific programmes based on the specific requirements of the different agro-climatic zones should be drawn up instead of uniform nation-wide schemes of one-size-fit-all variety.

Since irrigation is the key in agricultural growth, he suggested that Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) should have a large outlay and include not only major and medium irrigation projects but should also be extended to minor and lift irrigation projects.

For those lands which cannot be provided with assured irrigation, he suggested that a massive programme should be drawn up to cover rainfed areas on a Mission mode. He demanded that adequate funding support be provided by Government of India to the Watershed Mission of Orissa which has been set up by his Government to tackle the problems of rainfed agriculture.

He also suggested that seed production should be decentralized and seed villages encouraged so that adequate quantities of certified seeds are available to the farmers at affordable rates. He pointed out that nearly 70% of the cultivable land of Orissa is acidic in nature and transport subsidy should be provided by Government of India for gypsum and other inputs used for soil amendment.

Certain districts of Orissa such as Phulbani and Koraput have excellent potential for production of organic fruits, vegetables and spices. Since these districts are in the tribal sub-plan area, the resource-poor farmers cannot afford the high cost involved in certification of organic products. He suggested that the cost of such certification may be borne by the Government. He made a strong plea for a comprehensive crop insurance policy for cotton farmers of the State mainly in the Eastern and Southern parts of the State.

The CM also stated that farm mechanization and micro-irrigation systems are necessary in order to improve productivity of the land and timely agricultural operations. Specific schemes should be drawn up to promote a large number of cold storages in private sector with attractive incentives in the form of capital investment subsidy. Cold chain and post harvest management interventions should be put in place in order to support this sector, he added.