Dharmendra to inaugurate AgriVikas 2018
Bhubaneswar, June 28: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will inaugurate Agri Vikas 2018 tomorrow. It is slated to be the first-of-its-kind international convergence of agri-entrepreneurs, investors, Government of India organizations, corporate bodies, international organizations and representatives, academicians, agricultural students and nearly 700 farmers under one roof from June 29th to 30th 2018 in Bhubaneswar, to showcase the potential of the agriculture & allied sector in Odisha. Pradhan will be accompanied by Giriraj Singh, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
This was addressed in a press meet held yesterday in Bhubaneswar by the National Institute of Agriculture Marketing (NIAM) KPMG, Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), Siddha Development Research Consultancy (SDRC) and Sahabhagi Vikash Abhiyan (SVA) as partners and by Shiksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SoA) who will be hosting the event.
It is in this context that an idea of an Agri-entrepreneurship conclave was mooted by Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development Entrepreneurship, with a vision of roping in best practices in agri-entrepreneurship from around the country to demonstrate the efficacy of small interventions such as value addition by simple processes like drying and packing, strengthening logistics chains etc. to further the value of the agricultural produce.
AgriVikas 2018 also enjoys the mentorship and support of six Government of India Ministries: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare and Surjya Narayan Patro, Minister for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Cooperation, Government of Odisha will be gracing the valedictory function of AgriVikas 2018 on 30th June 2018. The event will also be graced by the Secretaries of GoI from various ministries, Director-General Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and many other senior representatives.
Entrepreneurs in the field of agriculture from all over the country and government bodies like TRIFED, NAFED, NABARD, AGARK, Agricultural Skills Council, NCDC, etc. will converge to demonstrate their products, technologies and solutions to the audience through over 150 exhibitory stalls. Invites have also been extended to Embassies, International bodies and NGOs and the State Government of Odisha.
As a part of the conclave, parallel sessions covering the entire value chain of the agricultural and allied sector are being organized over these 2 days, with focus on doubling farmer’s income, aspirational districts, bio-fuels and skilling. These sessions will be anchored by distinguished speakers such as eminent academicians, head of government organizations and corporates, leading entrepreneurs and subject-matter-experts with a focus on keeping it simple and practical for the attending audience, a large section of whom would be farmers and small entrepreneurs.
AgriVikas 2018 will be open to public on 29th June 2018 from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and on 30th June from 10 AM to 1 PM.
The press meet was addressed by Smt. Hema Yadav, NIAM, Prof. Bijay Kumar Sahu, Dean-Agriculture, SoA, Jagadananda, CYSD, Jagdish Pradhan, SVA, Ratnakar Panigrahi, SDRC and Aparajita Tripathi, KPMG.
