Getting rid of starvation deaths, Odisha emerges as India’s 5th largest rice producer
Bhubaneswar, Sep 18 (UNI) Odisha’s journey, once infamous for starvation deaths, to becoming the fifth-largest rice producer in India shows what determined institution-building and investment in irrigation can achieve, a senior official claimed today.
Anu Garg, State’s Development Commissioner, participating in a high-level regional policy dialogue, “Food Policy for a Changing World: Lessons and Priorities for South Asia,” convened at New Delhi by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), stated this while reflecting on the State’s progress over the years.
“Today, our focus is on embedding climate resilience into agriculture so that this progress endures,” she further stated.
Further elaborating on the State’s progress, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, said Odisha is perhaps one of the few states where both a Climate Resilience Cell (CRC) and a Gender Responsive Cell (GRC) exist.
“Through CRC and GRC, we want to build into our design the gender and climate lens from the beginning,” Padhee said, noting that regional cooperation initiatives, such as Seeds without Borders, demonstrate how cross-country collaboration can accelerate the spread of climate-resilient varieties.
The event also marked the South Asia launch of IFPRI’s 2025 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR).
The dialogue brought together senior policymakers, researchers, and development partners to reflect on how South Asia can secure resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems amid mounting pressures of climate change, malnutrition, and demographic transitions.
