Angulଅନୁଗୋଳ

What the plan promotes

• ▸Crop production dominates the plan at Rs 1231.39 cr (41.31%); paddy, pulses, oilseeds, condiments (onion) and vegetables are the major crops on 2,11,291 ha of cultivable land, nearly 60% of which is highland suited to horticulture (mango, guava, banana, pineapple, cashew).
• ▸MSME is the single biggest sector at Rs 2406.87 cr; the district is a fast-industrialising coal/steel/power hub anchored by NALCO, Jindal Steel & Power, NTPC and TTPS, with proposed Aluminium Park, Steel Park and Fly Ash Cluster and one approved MSME Multi-product Park.
• ▸Food and agro-processing potential of Rs 18.04 cr with 12 existing food processing units; flour mill, atta processing, groundnut decorticating, jam/jelly/sauce/pickle making and cashew processing hold promise, aided by food parks including the CoE Industrial Park for agro & marine products.
• ▸Dairy term-loan potential of Rs 81.06 cr with 418699 cattle, 35 dairy co-operative societies (13 in Chhendipada and Athamallik) and milk output of 57 MT (2020-21); OMFED chilling plant to be made fully operational with local milk.
• ▸Fisheries potential of Rs 23.35 cr; fresh-water fish production reached 24470 MT across 23362 ha in 2021-22, with the Heritage Govt. Fish Farm at Angul proposed for upgradation (Rs 9.50 cr).
• ▸21 FPOs promoted by NABARD, SFAC, NAFED and NCDC across all eight blocks (7 registered under Companies Act); NABARD signed an MOU with Odisha's Agriculture Dept on 13 Nov 2018 to build FPO capacity, aggregation and market linkage.

Gaps the plan names

• ▸Storage capacity, both dry and wet, is woefully short; rural godowns, onion godowns, cold storages, pack houses and ripening chambers need to be set up by private entrepreneurs, and FPO/FPCs formed to cut out middlemen for the district's fruit, vegetable and onion output.
• ▸MSME growth is held back by credit concentrated in selective pockets, a severe shortage of skilled labour and trained artisans (traditional handicrafts/handloom declining), and unreliable electricity supply and poor road/rail connectivity.
• ▸Minor irrigation is weak — under 35% of net sown area is irrigated; defunct lift-irrigation points and water-harvesting structures need revival, ground-water exploitation through dug/bore wells expanded, and sprinkler/drip promoted.
• ▸The district has become an industrial hub without commensurate growth of downstream industries; the proposed Aluminium Park, Steel Park and Fly Ash Cluster remain to be operationalised.
• ▸Bank branch network is extremely skewed — Athamallik, Pallahara and Kishorenagar blocks have only 9, 8 and 6 commercial/RRB branches respectively, and 7 of 209 Gram Panchayats are unbanked.