BHUBANESWAR: Though agroclimatic zones in Orissa are conducive for horticulture, the State is yet to figure prominently in the country's horticulture map.
India is a veritable emporium of herbs. The inhabitants of India knew of the medicinal use of plants from time immemorial. Under the impact of state-sponsored economic development programmes and processes of modernization, the traditional cultures of tribal communities have begun to change. Deforestation and the replacement of natural forests by commercial teak-sal plantations have in many areas reduced the availability of forest produce including vegetables, fruits and meat.
BHUBANESWAR: The first layer poultry estate in the country focusing solely on egg production is soon going to take shape at Gobardhan Sula near Baripada in Mayurbhanj district.
Land for the around Rs 10-crore project involving the Centre, State and farmers has been demarcated and work for establishment of the facility is set to commence soon.
BHUBANESWAR: Despite the spectre of drought looming large over Orissa every two years, the Government till today has not recognised drought as a disaster in the State. Had it been so, Kalahandi and Balangir, infamous for perennial drought, could have been included in the current Disaster Risk Management Programme (DRMP) underway in 16 vulnerable districts in the State.
BHUBANESWAR: Are some tribal groups in Koraput and Mayurbhanj on the brink? The answer seems to be in affirmative if the rate of child mortality among the tribals is any indication. The child mortality rate of the tribals in 1997-98 was 44 but it has surged to over 62 per 1000, says the latest study by Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement in association with the World Health Organisation.
