Argus News - Argus Agri Vikas Season 5 Concludes in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Apr 20: The fifth season of Argus Agri Vikas concluded at Hotel Mayfair Convention, Jaydev Vihar in Bhubaneswar on Monday, bringing together policymakers, innovators and agricultural experts under the theme “Powering the Future of Agriculture in Odisha.”

The inaugural session commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp and rendition of ‘Vande Utkal Janani’, followed by an audio-visual presentation showcasing the journey of Argus News. Guests were then introduced and felicitated by the Chief Editor of Argus News, Sisira Bhatta Mishra, who also delivered the welcome address.

Prakash Sahu, CEO of Argus News, presented the concept note, outlining the vision behind the initiative. The session featured addresses from Guest of Honour Dr Ajit Kumar Shasany, Director, CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow, and Padma Shri awardee Uddhab Bharali, a renowned grassroots innovator from Assam.

Chief Guest Surama Padhy, Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, addressed the gathering, highlighting the importance of strengthening agricultural systems in the state.

The inaugural session concluded with memento presentation by Prakash Sahu and a vote of thanks by the Executive Editor of Argus, Durgasish.

The technical session on “Future-ready Agriculture – Skilling, Education and Knowledge Systems” was moderated by Santi Bhusan Mishra, Associate Editor of Argus News, moderating the discussion.

The panel discussion featured Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, Member of Parliament from Kandhamal; Arun Kumar Sahoo, MLA from Nayagarh and former Agriculture Minister; Amar Prasad Satpathy, former Agriculture Minister; and Hamid Hussain, National Spokesperson of AICC and former Director in the Ministries of Defence and Agriculture, Government of India.

After the lunch break, the second technical session, moderated by moderated by Argus Digital Editor Sangram Keshari Sarangi, on “From Farm to Market: Building Resilient and Efficient Agri Supply Chains” took place, featuring Sushanta Kumar Panda, Managing Director of Bharat Masala; Pabitra Kumar Sahoo, entrepreneur and Spirulina producer; and Jayanti M, business advisor and startup ecosystem enabler. The session witnessed panellists discuss on various topics linked to the theme.

The third technical session focussed on “Opportunities and the Way Forward in Leveraging the Potential in Odisha.”

It was moderated by Shakti Sai Mishra, Associate Editor of Argus News, with participation from Manish Billore, Vice President at Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd.; Sujata Bhuyan, cage culturist; and Sitikantha Behera, Chief Executive of Utkarsh Nature Village. An interactive question-answer session followed, where the panellists answered questions from the audience.

The valedictory session — the concluding session — witnessed the presence of Pradeep Bal Samanta, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Co-operation, Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts, and Gokulananda Mallick, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Fisheries & Animal Resources Development and MSME.

The session also witnessed the felicitation of 10 successful farmers and agriculturists from across the state, followed by the vote of thanks by Durgasish, Executive Editor, Argus News.