Odisha Govt mulls second agriculture, separate veterinary university

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government would set up one more Agriculture University
and a separate Veterinary University shortly in the State in order to ensure
sustainable agriculture practices and to improve research on various subjects
of veterinary sciences.

The State has now only
one agriculture university namely Odisha University of Agriculture Technology
(OUAT) in Bhubaneswar.

“The State Government
has already taken in-principle decision to open a second Agriculture University
in the line of OUAT in KBK region soon. The Chief Minister will soon lay the
foundation stone for it. Similarly, a proposal of setting up of a separate
Veterinary University is now under active consideration of the Government,” Agriculture
Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Pradip Maharathy told
mediapersons here at OUAT while felicitating students qualifying JRF.

The Minister said an
Agriculture College will also be opened at the newly established Xavier
University at Pipili.

On the current potato
crisis scenario in the State, the Minister said due to lack of cold storage
facility the tuber crisis is prevailing frequently.

“The Government will
soon open 10-15 multipurpose cold storage in the State. By August end, two
cold storages one at Titilagarha and other at Panikoili will be inaugurated to
avoid potato crisis in future,” said the Minister.  

The Minister also stated
that he has requested the Chief Minister to relax electric tariff for cold
storages to facilitate opening of more cold stores.

“Once the tariff rate is
relaxed, we will have multipurpose cold storage at all the 314 blocks in the State,”
the Minister added.      

The Minister also
called upon the OUAT scientists to develop a special potato seed to make Odisha
self sufficient in potato production. 

OUAT Vice Chancellor
Manoranjan Kar also present at the Press conference.