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The state government has drawn up large scale rubber and coffee plantation programme to be taken up on 85,000 acres of land in tribal dominated districts at an investment of Rs 738.49 crore. The programme is meant to encourage cash crop farming in these areas.
The programme will run from 2013 to 2022 and is expected to benefit 85,000 tribal families in the state.
As per the plan, 45,000 acres will be covered under rubber plantation through five Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDA) in Mayurbhanj and Gajapati districts, which will offer job opportunities for 45,000 tribal farmers in next 10 years.
For rubber farming, the state will arrange Rs 16.92 crore from Indian Rubber Board and Rs 255.73 crore will be sourced from Special Central Assistance (SCA) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Plantation for rubber has already been taken up in Baripada, Kaptipada, Rairangpur and Paralakhemundi on 1,170 acres, for which Rs 1.21 crore has been allocated.
As part of the programme, nurseries have been raised to provide planting material of 350,000 brown budded stumps. NGOs having expertise in rubber plantation have been asked to start cultivation in Mayurbhanj and Gajapati districts, said government sources.
For coffee plantation, the government has chosen hilly areas in Koraput and Rayagada districts, where coffee farming is already present in small scale. Indian Coffee Board has agreed to extend its support to up the plantation area.
The state government plans to raise area under coffee cultivation to 40,000 acres to benefit equal number of tribal families in upcoming 10 years. For the current year, coffee plantation will be taken up in 6,380 acres at an investment of Rs 13.64 crore.
To provide technical support to tribals, the government has selected agriculture graduates for placement in the ITDAs of Koraput, Rayagada, Mayurbhanj and Gajapati.
