A farmer on a paddy field on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, May 16: The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Manila, has planned to create a hub in the twin cities here so that technologies available across all the rice producing zones in the world can now be used by local entrepreneurs for effective production and marketing of farm produce. In its collaborative effort, the IRRI will include four research institutes based in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The proposed hub, which is likely to start functioning from the next month, will help young farmers and unemployed youth, who will take rice and other crops not only for local supply, but also for an ambitious market linkage with southeast Asian countries such as Singapore or Hong Kong.

“For example, though the long-grained Basmati is climatically suitable for cultivation in north India, temperate eastern belt and especially Odisha is suitable for short-grained local aromatic rice, the demand of which is growing day by day. The short-grained aromatic rice is in high demand even in countries such as Bangladesh for the preparation of biryani. As our state has several indigenous short-grained rice types, young rice growers can tap the international market from here very easily,” said Samarendu Mohanty, head of the social sciences division of the IRRI.

“We cannot ask our growers to go for exotic or local varieties, but an ensured market linkage should be there so that the farmers are encouraged to continue their efforts. An array of international organisations and the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT), the directorates of water management and women in agriculture in the capital will come forward for the proposed hub,’’ said Mohanty.

Mohanty, who was here in the city on a short visit, said many agencies in Singapore and Hong Kong had already expressed an interest to market the indigenous short-grained aromatic rice varieties. He, however, said that apart from rice, the hub will also include other types of crops.

To be executed under the Cereal System Initiative for South Asia, the IRRI project will also include experts from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, the International Food Policy Research Institute and the International Livestock Research Institute.

Satya Ranjan Das, an honorary professor at the OUAT, said: “In many parts of the world and even in India, direct-seeded rice cultivation has become a practice to reduce the farming cost with multi-crop agriculture. The project should also put emphasis on the traditional agricultural practices.’’