Odisha tops in sweet potato production, to serve it in mid-day meals

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Sep 26:

Odisha, the highest sweet potato producer in the country, now plans to serve the calorie rich vegetable in mid-day meal in government-run schools across the state.

The humble sweet potato will find place in the mid-day meal menu of government schools in Odisha.

“Sweet potato has been cultivated in 48 thousand hectare land in the state producing 4 lakh tones of production this year. Attempts are being made to increase the production further,” said Director of Horticulture Sushanta Kumar Nanda.

The director had informed the media on the sidelines of a workshop on sweet potato production in the capital yesterday that sweet potato will now be served in the mid-day meals in schools.

He also said that attempts are being made by the government to serve this tuberous vegetable to patients suffering malnutrition.

Currently, sweet potato is being cultivated in Koraput, Ganjam, Dhenkanal and Sundergarh districts. The state government is now planning to increase the production through cultivation in other districts.  The Horticulture department and the International Potato Centre are giving priority towards increasing its production.

The department, with serving it in mid-day meals, is eyeing to increase its popularity and marketability by promoting various processed food made of sweet potato like chips, sauce, papad, roti and paratha, the director said.