Koraput, Odisha, a tribal and aspirational district, has excellent prospects for seed spice cultivation due to favourable climatic conditions.
The ICAR-NRCSS took the initiative to introduce these crops in the Koraput region as part of the project "Entrepreneurship development through Seed Spices-based Science and Technology Intervention to Improve the Livelihood of Farmers in Koraput District, Odisha."
The project's first phase will assess the feasibility of cultivating these crops by demonstrating 14 different varieties of eight-seed spices.
In subsequent phases, tribal farmers will be shown and trained on technologies developed by ICAR-NRCSS, such as organic cultivation, post-harvest value additions, and seed production of seed spices.
They will be linked to marketing agencies, which will allow them to develop entrepreneurship skills necessary for building good relationships with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.
The project will be carried out in collaboration with ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Regional Station, Koraput; AICRP Spices; Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology; and the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society.
One team of ICAR-NRCSS scientists and collaborating organizations visited different farmer fields and chose 80 tribal farmers for seed spice cultivation.
A one-day training programme was organised at the ICAR-IISWC Regional Station in Koraput to demonstrate how these crops are grown today. Farmers were also given high-quality seeds of seed spices.
According to Dr. S N Saxena, Director of ICAR-NRCSS, this region has enormous potential for producing chemical-free seed spices with direct export value. Scientists from ICAR-NRCSS, Ajmer, and Scientists from ICAR-IISWC, Regional Station, Koraput, organised the training and demonstration.
