Food processing unit to be set up in Beruda panchayat area

The Jajpur district administration has decided to set up a food processing unit at Beruda panchayat area of the district to find a solution to the problems faced by the farmers growing vegetables.

This decision was taken in wake up the suicide attempt by a young farmer unable to repay the loan due to distress sale of vegetables, grown in his land in Nityanandapur village of the district last week.

"When I visited Nityanandapur village in wake of the farmer's attempted suicide, hundreds of farmers of the village and neighbouring areas, growing vegetables and other agricultural products in their land, had apprised me of their problems. They are mainly facing the problems of distress sale of their agricultural produce. I also visited the farm land and realised the problems of the farmers community facing in that area," said Jajpur District Collector Ranjan Kumar Das.
 

Therefore, the district administration has decided to set up a food processing unit in the area to mitigate the problems of the farmers fraternity, he said.

"I have recommended that a food processing unit be set up in that area and directed the Deputy Director of Agriculture (DDA) to take immediate step in this direction," he said.

The collector said the food processing unit would first prepare sauce from tomatoes and chillies. "I expect that the unit will be set up very soon to mitigate the distress sale of the agricultural products in the area," he added.

A 27- year-old farmer, Kalinga Ghadei of Nityanandapur village had attempted suicide by consuming poison on Thursday. He took the step for being unable to repay the loan and due to distress sale of his tomato crop grown in his two acres land.

The farmer was first admitted to the district head quarters hospital and later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after his condition deteriorated. He is now battling for life at the SCB. The district collector had visited the victim village on Friday to take stock of the incident.

Vegetables like tomato, brinjal, beans, chillies, pumpkin, bitter gourd, cucumber and other vegetables are being cultivated in thousands of hectares land in Jajpur block area in the district.