Make agriculture a business, not just a profession’: CA Purnendu Kar’s 10-point roadmap for Odisha
BHUBANESWAR, AUGUST 30, 2026: Odisha must transform agriculture into a viable business, promote agro-based industries, harness its long coastline and natural resources, and create an ecosystem that encourages young people to become entrepreneurs rather than merely job-seekers, noted Chartered Accountant and columnist Purnendu Kar said on Saturday.
Speaking at the Nachiketa Foundation Trust’s programme on “Ten Proposals for the Development of Odisha” at Buddha Mandir here, Kar said Odisha possesses abundant natural resources and basic infrastructure, but needs stronger determination and a focused strategy to convert its potential into economic prosperity.
Kar placed his first and foremost emphasis on making agriculture a business rather than merely a profession. He said farming should be made economically attractive through investment, value addition, modern practices and better market opportunities, enabling farmers to generate higher and sustainable incomes.
He called for rapid development of agro-based industries so that agricultural produce could be processed and value-added within the state, benefiting both farmers and the wider economy.
Odisha should also establish need-based industries based on locally available raw materials and existing infrastructure, Kar said, observing that the state has considerable resources but lacks the strong will and coordinated effort needed to utilise them fully.
He stressed that Odisha’s long coastline must be put to better economic use through development of agro and port-based industries, seafood processing and exports, and other export-oriented industries.
Kar also called for professional marketing of Odisha’s distinctive GI-tagged products, saying effective branding and promotion could provide them with larger domestic and international markets.
Creating a favourable industrial ecosystem to attract larger investments was another major priority. The state, he said, must provide the right conditions for industries to establish and expand.
He also advocated development of tourism infrastructure, expansion of technology-based industries and a systematic global projection of Odisha’s products, culture, heritage, tourism potential and investment opportunities.
Kar’s tenth and, in his words, most important proposal, was to change the mindset of Odisha’s youth. Instead of aspiring primarily for government or private jobs, young people should be encouraged to take up business and entrepreneurship. The state, he said, must create an environment in which entrepreneurship is viable, respected and supported.
Chief Guest and Former MLS Soumya Ranjan Patnaik underlined the central role of education in the state’s development and said progress in agriculture, industry, tourism, technology and other sectors ultimately depended on quality education. He also stressed the need for nationalisation of primary and secondary education.
Guest of Honour and Resident Editor of The New Indian Express, Shiba Mohanty, called for a favourable mindset towards entrepreneurship, greater investment, stronger MSMEs and agro-based industries. He stressed that development and environmental protection should go together and that industries, education and healthcare should be distributed beyond Bhubaneswar and a few coastal cities.
Guest of Honour and Executive Editor of Odia daily The Pragativadi, Birupakshya Tripathy, emphasised education, government healthcare, employment generation, proper utilisation of natural resources, agriculture and irrigation, flood management, and the cooperative sector. Tripathy urged the youth to become employers rather than employees and also called for greater attention to cultural development and fixing accountability in every sphere.
Eminent writer and Nachiketa Foundation Trust’s Managing Trustee Gourahari Das in his speech said Odisha should not remain preoccupied with its past or merely blame others for its backwardness. Instead, people should learn from the past, dream of a better tomorrow and work to turn those dreams into reality, he said, adding that the programme had been organised keeping the youth of Odisha particularly in mind.
Rajkishore Dash introduced the guests, while Trustee Priyabrat Biswal proposed the vote of thanks. Writers, educationists and intellectuals, besides Nachiketa Foundation Trustees Sanjukta Nayak, Dr. Goutami Das Nayak am attended the programme.
