Odisha has demanded more financial support from the Centre under the National Food Security Plan for cultivation of pulses and oilseed crops on 2.5 lakh hectares of paddy land in the state. Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment of Odisha, Mr. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, placed the demand before Union Agriculture Minister Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2024 held in New Delhi today.

He submitted a demand to Mr. Chouhan to increase the field performance expenditure per hectare for sunflowers, groundnuts, and beekeeping. Mr. Singh Deo also proposed to the Union Agriculture Minister to approve the annual program plan of 8.34 crore rupees for the agroforestry program of Odisha under the National Development Plan. As Odisha is vulnerable to natural disasters, the state has proposed setting up a research centre for deep land agriculture in coastal Odisha and an agricultural machinery development, training, and testing centre in the western part of the state to bring innovation in agricultural mechanisation.