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Focus on nutritional value, farm scientists told

CUTTACK: Inaugurating a four-day regional agricultural fair here on Wednesday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called upon farm scientists to work intensively for increasing the nutritional value of rice as it is the staple food of a majority in the country.

“Since rice is eaten by a large number of people, research has to be made to fortify the rice grain with iron, zinc, vitamin A and other nutrients to take care of the nutritional needs of people,” Mr. Patnaik told the scientists at Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI).

More than 500 farmers from Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar are attending the fair that would discuss various aspects of livelihood security in rice-based farming system.

Expressing concern over decline in farmland availability, increase in population and subsequent demand for rice, Mr. Patnaik called upon the scientists to gear up their research work to sustain the present level of self-sufficiency. “The overall strategy should be to develop rice-based farming systems for sustainable production, keeping in view the small and marginal farmers,” he said.

Mr. Patnaik said climatic aberrations in the State pose a threat in fulfilling the objectives of food security mission launched by the State government recently. “Therefore, there is urgent need to develop long-term strategies through concerted research”.

He said the state agriculture department and CRRI should join hands to take new production technologies closer to farmers.

CRRI director M.P. Pandey assured the Chief Minister that the scientists were geared up to meet the future demands of the country by taking up innovative research projects and spreading the new technologies from laboratory to land. “CRRI is fully committed to help increase in rice production and attending to all the needs of farmers,” Mr. Pandey said.

State Cooperation Minister Surama Padhy and OUAT Vice-Chancellor D.P. Ray also spoke on the occasion.

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