New Delhi: The fragrance of Odisha’s aromatic rice has been well received at the national capital the India International Trade Fair (IITF), New Delhi.
Visitors and shoppers showed keen interest in buying various varieties of aromatic rice harvested by Odisha farmers. The Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Govt of Odisha has opened stalls at the “Odisha Mandap” in IITF 2024. In one of the stalls, various varieties of rice like Badshah Bhog, New Kalajeera, Sugandha etc. are being displayed and sold among various agricultural products. A good demand for these aromatic rice varieties harvested organically
in different parts of the state was seen at the trade fair.
The Odisha Mandap attracts us with diverse products. Also, the stalls here are selling different types of fragrant rice. We earlier took basmati rice but here we got the fragrant new kala jeera rice instead of basmati," said Madhusudan Palai, an Odia resident of Delhi who visited the Odisha Mandap.
Currently, 8 varieties of Aromatic rice are being cultivated in 13 districts of the state. For this, the Agriculture Department is providing various inputs and technical assistance to the farmers.
“International trade fairs provide a unique opportunity to showcase and sell various products. This year, we have put up various types of fragrant rice prepared by Odisha farmers at our stall. Along with this, Odisha’s popular and nutritious millet items are being enjoyed by customers in Delhi. Such participation in a national-level trade fair will be a great encouragement for our farmers,” said Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department, Govt of Odisha.
At the ‘Odisha Mandap’ a variety of traditional and modern food items prepared under the ‘Shri Anna Abhiyan’ of the Agriculture Department are a highlight. These include millet laddu, biscuits, mixture, namkeen, noodles, etc. The Odia diaspora and people from different states who visited the pavilion showed interest in buying these items. “I bought Kandhamal turmeric from the Odisha pavilion. I also saw different types of basmati rice. In particular, I had heard about Odisha’s Kalajeera rice before. I was happy to see it being sold here. It is very beneficial for health," said DK Sharma from Uttar Pradesh.
As per department sources, over 1.5 Quintals of millets were sold at the Odisha pavilion last year. This year, it is estimated to be 4 quintals. Likewise, around 28 Quintals of the Aromatic Rice varieties are estimated to be sold. Similarly, customers are buying turmeric, jaggery and lemon grass oil, among other agricultural products, from the Agriculture & FE Department stall.
