THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026

Odisha will pilot an Integrated Cluster Development Initiative (ICDI) in Puri and Ganjam districts to accelerate economic growth and raise farmers’ incomes by integrating agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and dairy sectors, officials said on Thursday.

The decision was taken at the first ICDI Consultation Workshop held at Lok Seva Bhawan here, which deliberated on the potential for cluster-based development, identification of priority areas, removal of bottlenecks, institutional coordination and a future action plan.

The workshop was 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, Chief Secretary Anu Garg, NITI Aayog Programme Director (Economic and Financial) Dr Prabhakar Vastu, EAC-PM Joint Secretary Dr K K Tripathi, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramchandra Yadav, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Prem Chandra Chaudhary, IFPRI Senior Researcher Dr Sudha Narayanan and senior officials from various departments attended the workshop.

In the inaugural session, Dev stressed the need to move from a conventional "productivity approach" to an "agricultural livelihood approach" aimed at enhancing incomes from agricultural produce.

He emphasised greater post-harvest value addition, upliftment of small and marginal farmers and strengthening Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and cooperatives through convergence of various schemes and institutions.

Odisha, being an eastern state, has the potential to set an example by integrating agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and tourism, Dev said.

The ICDI is proposed to begin as a pilot initiative in Puri and Ganjam districts before being expanded to Angul, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur and Deogarh. Collectors of the districts participated in the workshop.

Chief Secretary Anu Garg said a developed Odisha would make a significant contribution to the larger goal of Viksit Bharat and stressed the need for inclusive and balanced regional development.

She called for strengthening the entire value chain from production to markets by linking farm produce with value addition, processing and marketing.

Connecting regional produce with larger domestic and international markets and greater involvement of women self-help groups (SHGs) would provide fresh momentum to the rural economy, Garg said.

She also stressed the need for stronger coordination among government departments, district administrations, research and financial institutions, cooperatives, the private sector and local entrepreneurs for successful implementation of the cluster initiative.

Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Secretary Sachin Yadav made a detailed presentation on the state’s horticulture sector, highlighting Odisha’s emergence as a major producer of fruits and vegetables.

Horticulture crops are cultivated over 16.53 lakh hectares in the state, with annual vegetable production of around 1.1 million metric tonnes and nearly 3.83 lakh farmers engaged in 95 cluster activities, he said.

Yadav said the proposed clusters in Puri and Ganjam would focus on crops and products such as cashew, mango, vegetables and spices, with emphasis on collection, cold storage, processing and marketing linkages.

He also outlined a roadmap for strengthening FPOs and connecting Odisha’s farm produce with national and international markets.

Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Secretary Prem Chandra Chaudhary outlined strategies for boosting incomes in the fisheries and dairy sectors.

The fisheries strategy includes initiatives such as the Deep Sea Fishing Mission, Shrimp Mission, reservoir fish farming, cold-chain infrastructure, processing and strengthening of FPOs.

In the dairy sector, the focus would be on improving productivity, animal health, fodder availability, milk collection, processing and cold-storage infrastructure.

The workshop underlined the need for an integrated, cluster-based approach to address gaps across the farm-to-market value chain and create sustainable livelihood opportunities for farmers and rural communities in Odisha.