A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo to discuss an intensive agriculture program focusing on the revival and sustainable intensification of forgotten foods.
The meeting emphasised the vision of the Honourable Prime Minister regarding India’s goal of becoming self-reliant in pulses. To advance this vision, Odisha has decided to promote the cultivation of Pigeonpea, Black Gram, and Lentils in the state using a cluster approach.
ICRISAT has developed a new variety of pigeonpea known as ICPV25444, which can be grown in all seasons. This variety is capable of tolerating intense heat up to 45° Celsius and has a growing period of 120 days. It has the potential to be a game-changer for achieving self-reliance in pulses.
The Deputy Chief Minister advised farmers to cultivate the new pigeonpea variety alongside traditional varieties, such as Dangararani and Kandula, which are now considered forgotten varieties by the Odisha State Seeds Corporation Ltd. He stated that Odisha should become a “seed hub” under the Atmanirbhar initiative in pulses.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Director of Agriculture Shubham Saxena, Director of Horticulture, Kalunge Gorakh Waman, and senior officials from the Agriculture Department, Directorate of Horticulture, Directorate of Agriculture & Food Production, ICRISAT, and ICARDA.
