Bhubaneswar, Feb 12 : The Odisha government is mulling to use organic rice in the preparation of Mahaprasad, the food offerings of the holy triad at the famous Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri.

On Wednesday, the Odisha Agriculture department held a consultation meeting on the use of organic rice in the Mahaprasad held at Krushi Bhavan Conference Hall here.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, the Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration and Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Department.

The stakeholders held discussions on the use of chemical free rice in the preparation of the holy offerings in Shree Mandira. Efforts have been started by the state government to make the Mahaprasad chemical-free.

The decision to use organic rice and vegetables in the Mahaprasad of 12th century shrine has been welcomed by the Suar-Mahasuar (the servitors who are in charge of the Temple's kitchen) and the Jagannath Temple administration.

"In the initial phase, this organic rice will be used in the Kotha Bhoga of Shree Mandira (the Puri Jagannath Temple). Along with this, there is a proposal to use organic rice and vegetables in the Bhoga that is being held during Shri Gundicha Rath Yatra (car festival). A special project called 'Amruta Anna' will be implemented and Mahaprasad prepared from organic anna will be available for devotees at Anand Bazaar.

"For this, there is a proposal to open a special counter at Anand Bazaar,' said the state Agriculture department in a press statement on Wednesday.

The Department further informed that, initially, organic rice varieties like Kalajeera, Pimpudibasa, Jubaraja etc. produced in the state will be used in this 'Amruta Anna' Mahaprasad.

Out of these, Kalajeera rice has already achieved the GI tag (Geographical Index). Currently, Odisha is ahead of the national average in rice productivity.

This year, Kalajeera rice has been cultivated in 1,365 acres of land in Koraput and for the first time, a Kalajeera rice mandi has been opened in Kotpad.

Organic certification, subsidies etc., are proposed to promote organic farming. Along with this, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) will be encouraged to produce organic rice through cluster approach and a steering committee will be formed to implement the entire process smoothly.

The committee will have representatives from the Jagannath Temple administration, Suara-Mahasuara, other producer groups, NGOs and departmental officers as members.

'In the initial phase, the target is to produce organic rice on 100 to 200 acres of land. Seed will be saved. Later more organic paddy production will be encouraged. The organic grains will be used in the 'Amruta Anna' Mahaprasad. While producing organically, the use of cow urine, cow dung, seed amrut and other organic fertilizers can also help in the protection and increase of the cow's population in the state,' the department further added.

/IANS