The Odisha Government signed a public-private partnership pact with Paradeep Phosphates Limited to upgrade the Farmers Training School in Bhubaneswar. PPL will manage the campus, organise training programmes, and provide technical experts. This initiative aims to boost agricultural skills, promote modern technology, and create new rural employment opportunities for farmers.
The Odisha Government has signed a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with Paradeep Phosphates Limited (PPL) to operate and manage the Farmers Training School at the State Institute for Training and Extension (SITE), Bhubaneswar, aiming to upgrade the facility and strengthen agricultural training and extension services.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), PPL will organise year-round training programmes for farmers and agricultural personnel, maintain the campus, provide round-the-clock security and undertake garden development.
The company will also bear 40 per cent of the institute's monthly electricity expenses and deploy a technical expert to provide real-time agricultural advisory services.
The partnership is intended to promote modern agricultural technologies, enhance farmers' technical skills, encourage agri-entrepreneurship and create rural employment opportunities, particularly through Agro-Service Centres.
The agreement was signed yesterday in the presence of Agriculture Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Director of Agriculture Poma Tudu, APICOL Managing Director Shubhranshu Mishra and PPL Zonal Manager B.K. Singh, among other officials.
The initiative seeks to transform SITE into a centre for agricultural training, technology transfer and extension services by leveraging private-sector expertise.