By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: A webinar on “Scope & Opportunity in MSME: Fisheries & Dairy”, organized by Odisha Corporate Foundation (OCF) in collaboration with Knowledge partner Msafrica Technocomm Solutions was held on 14 June to highlight and discuss how to increase industrial opportunities in Odisha. Odisha Corporate Foundation is a leading organization which strives to promote overall advancement of Odisha by connecting with large industries as well as govt Ministries through various events, seminars, webinars, etc.
Minister of State in the Government of India for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and MSME, Pratap Chandra Sarangi was the speaker of the said webinar. The session was introduced by Mihir Kumar Sahu who explained the objectives and points to be discussed, highlighting the under developed poultry and fishery in Odisha which compels us to be dependent on neighboring states. Manoj Sahu, Entrepreneur & Global Business Consultant briefed a presentation which elaborated the requirements as well as the availability of resources in Odisha.
Sahu in his briefing said, “Covid 19 isn’t a challenge but an opportunity.” Exploring different ways of using govt packages, using the skilled man power in the form of migrants who have returned due to the pandemic, space and opportunity for new entrants etc were the highlights of the presentation. He also threw light on the factors that will help the MSME grow, such as, predominant middle class market, young working class, educated as well as skilled workers, along with the opportunities to explore in Agro sector, IT sector etc to encourage the “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” policy of the govt.
Pratap Sarangi focused on the importance of cottage industry growth in Odisha. “Madhu Babu was the father of modern industries in Odisha and we need to encourage and educate more and more people to become entrepreneurs as the nation lies in the cottages”, said Mr. Sarangi. There is a major need to empower the farmers so that there will be more production and export, and so that they Odisha sees lack of courage among its citizens to start small scale businesses which needs to change.
Drawing attention to creating an eco-friendly environment, resources for organic farming, and targeting the domestic market, Sarangi suggested ideas of Solar Charkha Cluster, Honey cluster, Lac Processing Unit, Floriculture and flower based products, and producing alternatives for plastic such as, earthen containers, plates made of leaves and cutlery made of bamboo. According to him, setting up local industries has to become a national interest in order to be successful and that is how countries like England, Holland and Japan have conquered the world, setting examples for the rest. There should also be incubation centres that will train the already gifted workers professionally and provide us with the man power that we need. Remembering Swami Vivekananda’s words – A nation which sends raw materials to foreign lands and buys furnished goods is a baby in the field of industry, he said, Odisha has the technology, potential and infrastructure that is needed, along with financial help promoted by the govt; it is unfortunate that we are still poor. Effective training, homegrown mechanism, bank linkage and subsidies are the most important steps to be taken. Throwing light on the fishing industry Mr. Pratap Sarangi said it is important to encourage fish food production and sea weed which is used in cosmetics and ayurveda.
This was followed by a Q/A session where he implied that the banks will soon be updated about guidelines regarding subordinated bonds which will help the disrupted industries to avail govt packages. A question asked by a participant directed at the lack of enough containers for export of goods from Odisha. Availability of containers at ports like Dhamra will regulate the same.
The lack of good quality seeds also result in the suffering of farmers. To this Speaker Sarangi said that Organic farming could be the best solution. If we produce our own seeds, our own organic pesticides and switch to ayurvedic products, the scale production will definitely increase along with the decrease in cost of production. Mr. Sarangi assured that all the existing industries will have access to the govt funding as the primary focus has been shifted from investment to turnover. Considering the efficiency and motive of OCF team, Mr. Pratap Sarangi showed interest and agreement in including the team in the panel and consult them regarding the growth and set up of any industry in Odisha.
