Bhubaneswar: Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo on Friday emphasized the state govt’s focus on exporting agricultural products to international markets. Addressing a policy roundtable on inclusive agricultural transformation, Singh Deo revealed plans for a dedicated cargo flight from Bhubaneswar to facilitate swift transportation of agricultural goods.
“We should have a dedicated cargo flight to export food/agricultural products. If we want to send green vegetables, we should dispatch them as quickly as possible,” he added.
He said foreign consumers often receive food items in a frozen state, whereas Odisha’s fresh produce could find a niche market abroad.
He said the freshness of perishable items like vegetables cannot be maintained if the product is exported through containers. “For this, we need to have the quickest mode of transportation. There is a demand for our fresh food products in foreign countries. Foreigners get many of the food items in a frozen state in their retail stores,” he added.
He said they will try to bring a new agriculture policy that will be holistic and work by taking different departments together. “We will adopt natural farming and also focus on organic farming because public health is important,” he added.