On June 5, MSSRF at Jeypore, inaugurated three community seed banks at Koraput, Odisha. The District Collector of Koraput, Abdaal M. Akhtar IAS, along with Block Development Officer – Abhimanyu Kabi Satapathy and Boipariguda Block Chairman – Prashant Gupta took part in the inaugural function.

MSSRF established three community seed banks for 47 villages of Mathapada and Doraguda Gram Panchayats in Koraput to allow for farmers to store, exchange, and access them in their villages rather than relying on outside sources.

Seed is the most important agricultural input as the productivity of a crop is heavily reliant on the availability and accessibility of high-quality seeds. Community seed banks provide quality seeds to the agricultural community.

The occasion marked a significant milestone as the community seed banks were handed over to the community.

The District Collector in his concluding remarks emphasised the importance of the Community Seed Bank in the agricultural development sector. He spoke about the importance of seed banks in preserving locally available, climate-adaptable seeds, and encouraged women to participate in government programmes such as the Odisha Livelihood Mission and Mission Shakti initiatives. More than 120 small and marginal farmers participated in this programme.