Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Set Up A Rice Research Institute At Bargarh, Odisha. on 3 August, 2016
Sixteenth Loksabha an> title: Need to set up a Rice Research Institute at Bargarh, Odisha.
DR. PRABHAS KUMAR SINGH (BARGARH): Hon. Speaker Madam, thank you for giving me an opportunity to raise an important issue relating to my Parliamentary constituency. Agriculture is the mainstay of economy and substance of life for the people of Odisha. As per 2011 census, about 62 per cent of population is still depending on agriculture sector for their livelihood. Hence, this sector constitutes the backbone of the State’s economy. The production of foodgrains in the State has increased from 51.04 lakh tonnes in 1970-1971 to 83.60 lakh tonnes in 2013-14. The production rate of foodgrains has increased from 847 kilograms per hectares in 1971 to 1696 kilograms per hectare in 2012-2013 which is quite significant.
During 2013-14, the share of paddy out of the net area sown was 77.06 per cent which is still quite high. Over dependence on paddy cultivation even in rain-fed conditions is a limiting factor to growth of agriculture because of the State’s proneness to natural calamities, particularly drought conditions. The State agriculture policy has been further modified in 2013 to anticipate and address emerging trends and to identify potential areas for development and chalk out an agenda for economic development.
Rice is the staple food of Odisha and Bargarh district is the rice bowl of our State. Hence, a large part of Odisha is under rice cultivation. Establishing of a Central Rice Research Institute and an Agriculture University will go a long way in promoting research on rice and allied fields. I would request the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to consider establishing of a Central Rice Research Institute in Bargarh. A few months ago, the hon. Prime Minister had also visited Bargarh and we hoped that something would be announced by him. But, nothing has happened to Bargarh district yet and Bargarh is suffering a lot in agriculture sector.
श्री भैरों प्रसाद मिश्र, कुंवर पुष्पेन्द्र सिंह चन्देल और श्री रवीन्द्र कुमार जेना को *m05डॉ. प्रभास कुमार सिंह द्वारा उठाए गए विषय के साथ संबद्ध करने की अनुमति प्रदान की जाती है।