Odisha People Depend on Other States for Wheat, Pulses, Oil, Sugar, Potato, Fish and Eggs: Report

Bhubaneswar: The ongoing tensions in the Middle East have already raised concerns about fuel shortages. There are also fears that the supply of food and other essential commodities could be affected in the future.

At present, Odisha depends heavily on other states for many essential food items. This situation may create difficulties for people if fuel supply problems increase.

Annual Food Requirement in Odisha

Replying to a question by Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati in the Assembly on Wednesday, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said in a written reply that Odisha requires 77 lakh metric tonnes of rice and 5.88 lakh metric tonnes of wheat every year.

The state also needs:

• 3.16 lakh metric tonnes of pulses
• 1.37 lakh metric tonnes of food grains
• 2.68 lakh metric tonnes of edible oil
• 14.25 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes
• 3.85 lakh metric tonnes of onions
• 2.40 lakh metric tonnes of sugar
• 2.08 lakh metric tonnes of salt

Dependence on Other States

Odisha depends on several states for essential food supplies:

• Wheat: Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar
• Pulses and pulse crops: Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal
• Edible oil: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal
• Sugar: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
• Potatoes: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh
• Onions: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal
• Salt: Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh

Fish and Egg Supply

The state requires an average of 2,482.19 metric tonnes of fish every day. Odisha produces around 11.92 lakh metric tonnes of fish annually.

However, to meet the demand for certain varieties of fish, about 19,730 metric tonnes of fish are imported every year from neighbouring states.

Similarly, about 3.717 million eggs are imported daily from other states.

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Government Schemes Yet to Show Results

The government has launched several schemes to make Odisha self-reliant in the production of potatoes, onions, vegetables, fish, eggs, and food grains. Funds have also been provided for these schemes.

However, there are very few examples of Odisha becoming self-sufficient. Many of these schemes have not achieved the expected results. As a result, even after many years, the state still depends on other states for essential food supplies.