Odisha turns to organic farming amid rising cancer cases in Hirakud dam region | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Odisha govt has announced plans to promote organic farming in response to increasing cancer cases in Hirakud dam command area, which the govt attributes to chemical-intensive agriculture practices. Health experts link this trend to excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the region’s bi-annual crop cultivation. “The situation in areas under undivided Sambalpur and Balangir is a matter of serious concern,” said law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan. “Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are causing genetic mutations, leading to a wider spread of cancer,” he told the legislative assembly.
The region comprises six districts. Undivided Sambalpur refers to Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Deogarh as Sambalpur was split into these four districts in 1993. Balangir was divided into Balangir and Subarnapur.
To address this crisis, the state govt has launched the “Odisha Balabhadra Jaivik Chasa Mission“, with an initial allocation of Rs 1.5 crore. The initiative, announced in the BJP govt’s maiden budget last July, aims to convince farmers that switching to organic farming won’t compromise their productivity.
“We need to break the vicious cycle and demonstrate that organic farming can be equally productive,” Harichandan added. “The government is committed to taking a series of steps to popularize organic farming methods,” he added.
The govt is focusing on sustainable farming practices while addressing public health concerns in the region, he said. The minister was responding to a question by senior BJD MLA and former health minister Prasanna Acharya who highlighted that private companies were influencing farmers to overuse chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Health experts have called for a comprehensive population-based cancer registry across Odisha to verify the “visibly” high prevalence of cancer cases in the state’s western districts, particularly Bargarh.
Ghanashyam Biswas, a Bhubaneswar-based medical oncologist said the paddy belt of western Odisha is contributing a major share of cancer load in the state. “While one discounts other common factors, this region uses more pesticides because of two crops. Similar is the situation in Bathinda of Punjab, which reports too many cancer cases,” he said.
Dr Lalatendu Sarangi, former director of Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer, Cuttack said while there’s a common belief about higher cancer incidence in certain areas, “we need comprehensive data to substantiate this perception. Only district-wise population based cancer registry should be prepared.”
Currently, Odisha maintains cancer registries only for Khurda and Mayurbhanj districts. The first Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) report for Khurda, released in Feb 2025, revealed that one in 12 persons in the district risks developing cancer.
According to Fighters Group, a cancer patients’ forum in Bargarh, over 22,000 new cancer cases were reported between 2021 and 2023 across seven western districts including Bargarh, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh. “Bargarh town alone recorded 40 cancer-related deaths in the past two years,” said Ashwini Darjee, a cancer survivor who heads the group.
Dr Sourav Mishra, a medical oncologist at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, noted the visibly high number of patients from western Odisha districts. “It’s crucial to study the exact correlation between cancer cases and pesticide use in these regions,” he said.
A recent US study published in Frontiers (July 2024) suggests that pesticide exposure may pose cancer risks comparable to smoking. The study found higher cancer risks in counties with increased agricultural activity due to pesticide exposure.
The region comprises six districts. Undivided Sambalpur refers to Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Deogarh as Sambalpur was split into these four districts in 1993. Balangir was divided into Balangir and Subarnapur.
To address this crisis, the state govt has launched the “Odisha Balabhadra Jaivik Chasa Mission“, with an initial allocation of Rs 1.5 crore. The initiative, announced in the BJP govt’s maiden budget last July, aims to convince farmers that switching to organic farming won’t compromise their productivity.
“We need to break the vicious cycle and demonstrate that organic farming can be equally productive,” Harichandan added. “The government is committed to taking a series of steps to popularize organic farming methods,” he added.
The govt is focusing on sustainable farming practices while addressing public health concerns in the region, he said. The minister was responding to a question by senior BJD MLA and former health minister Prasanna Acharya who highlighted that private companies were influencing farmers to overuse chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Health experts have called for a comprehensive population-based cancer registry across Odisha to verify the “visibly” high prevalence of cancer cases in the state’s western districts, particularly Bargarh.
Ghanashyam Biswas, a Bhubaneswar-based medical oncologist said the paddy belt of western Odisha is contributing a major share of cancer load in the state. “While one discounts other common factors, this region uses more pesticides because of two crops. Similar is the situation in Bathinda of Punjab, which reports too many cancer cases,” he said.
Dr Lalatendu Sarangi, former director of Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer, Cuttack said while there’s a common belief about higher cancer incidence in certain areas, “we need comprehensive data to substantiate this perception. Only district-wise population based cancer registry should be prepared.”
Currently, Odisha maintains cancer registries only for Khurda and Mayurbhanj districts. The first Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) report for Khurda, released in Feb 2025, revealed that one in 12 persons in the district risks developing cancer.
According to Fighters Group, a cancer patients’ forum in Bargarh, over 22,000 new cancer cases were reported between 2021 and 2023 across seven western districts including Bargarh, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh. “Bargarh town alone recorded 40 cancer-related deaths in the past two years,” said Ashwini Darjee, a cancer survivor who heads the group.
Dr Sourav Mishra, a medical oncologist at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, noted the visibly high number of patients from western Odisha districts. “It’s crucial to study the exact correlation between cancer cases and pesticide use in these regions,” he said.
A recent US study published in Frontiers (July 2024) suggests that pesticide exposure may pose cancer risks comparable to smoking. The study found higher cancer risks in counties with increased agricultural activity due to pesticide exposure.
