UAIL Project UANAT transforming farmers lives in Odisha

UAIL Project UANAT transforms lives of farmers BHUBANESWAR: UAIL Project UANAT – Through farm-based livelihood interventions, Aditya Birla Group’s Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL) project “UANAT (Utkal’s Action for Agricultural Transformation),” launched in collaboration with Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation (BRLF), is transforming the lives of more than 15,000 rural households in Kashipur Block in Rayagada... Read More

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UAIL Project UANAT transforms lives of farmers

BHUBANESWAR: UAIL Project UANAT – Through farm-based livelihood interventions, Aditya Birla Group’s Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL) project “UANAT (Utkal’s Action for Agricultural Transformation),” launched in collaboration with Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation (BRLF), is transforming the lives of more than 15,000 rural households in Kashipur Block in Rayagada district and Thuamul Rampur Block of Kalahandi district in Odisha.

Since its inception in 2021, UANAT has benefited 5000 small and marginal farmer households with farm focused initiatives. 44 Producer Groups (PGs) with 5,257 farmers have been formed in the Kashipur and Thuamul Rampur blocks. This aids in the formation of collective ownership.

MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), Odisha Livelihood Mission, ITDA (Integrated Tribal Development Agency), National Horticulture Mission, Watershed Development Programs, OLIC (Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation), and OAIC (Odisha Agricultural Improvement Corporation) are some of the potential government programmes that the UANAT programme intersects with (Odisha Agro-Industry Corporation). These are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN Sustainable Development Goals). The ultimate goals are poverty eradication, hunger eradication, and self-sufficiency.

“Since its introduction, UANAT has enabled farmers to produce an average additional yearly income of Rs.31,700 per farmer,” says Mazhar Beig, the Unit Head of Utkal Alumina. Every farmer’s revenues from potato cultivation are recorded at Rs.16000 every season, while those from mushroom cultivation are Rs.3000 per month. At both of these blocks, numerous government projects and activities have brought in Rs.324.50 lakh in the last year alone. The stakeholders have gained confidence as a result of these good results.

UAIL Project UANAT

“From the operational communities, 33 Agri-entrepreneurs have been identified, and their grooming and capacity building is underway. These agri-entrepreneurs will act as change agents, providing services to the community in areas such as Custom Hiring Centers, one-stop solutions for livestock (vaccine, feed, and equipment), and agri-produce aggregation and marketing, according to Mr Beig.

“To carry out the programme on the ground, the Centre for Youth and Social Development CYSD is collaborating with BRLF in Kashipur and Janasahajya in Thuamul Rampur,” says Kuldeep Singh, BRLF’s COO. To date, 15 CRLPs (Cluster River Lift Points), 7 DBIs (Diversion Based Irrigation), 7 Canals, and 14 Farm Ponds have been converged from various government departments to offer farmers with irrigation for multi-crop farming.

In Odisha, the Aditya Birla Group works with over 5 lakh people in 128 villages across five districts, touching the lives of over 2 lakh individuals. Mrs Rajashree Birla, Chairperson, Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, is in charge of the Group’s CSR initiatives, and her mission is to “actively contribute to the social and economic development of the areas in which we operate.” In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, our goal is to alleviate poverty among the underprivileged and promote inclusive growth. As a result, provide a better, more sustainable way of life for society’s weaker and disenfranchised members.”