Fazilka’s kinnow has been selected by the government for sale in the international market under the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.

• As per the sources, kinnow is cultivated over nearly 33,000 hectares in Fazilka district.
• There are several kinnow grading and waxing plants in the district to enhance the shelf life of the citrus fruit.
• Fazilka Deputy Commissioner Arvind Pal Singh Sandhu said the government was coming out with a comprehensive plan to send the best quality kinnow to the international market and distant areas of the country.
• The DC said seminars would be conducted soon to apprise the horticulturists and the traders of the export laws and other formalities.
• A central government representative, Navdeep Singh, said there was a great demand of Fazilka-based kinnow in Central Asia and South-East Asian countries, and the government was ready to extend a helping hand to horticulturists to clear the export hindrances.
• Kinnow is rich in Vitamin-C, boosts the immune system and helps the body fight diseases.

About ‘One District One Product’ Scheme

Famous for its tourist destinations and hot springs, Japan’s Oita prefecture was once non-existent on the world’s map. This rural mountainous province was isolated and once was witnessing severe population decline. Its GDP had hit rock bottom in 1970s. However, the entire economy took a giant leap surprisingly with One Village One Product (OVOP) movement.

Beginning in 1979 and ending in 2003, this region’s economic model is a success story adapted by various countries globally.

Asian regions such as China, Cambodia, and Indonesia have all been significantly benefitted by the concept.

• The movement has now been rechristened with different names according to the target group of the movement.
• Based on the principles of local yet global, self-reliance and creativity, and maximum utilisation of human-resources, this OVOP movement greatly resonates with the government’s vision of Make in India and Vocal for Local with Global outreach.
• Akin to the same concept, Government of India has come up with One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.
• The scheme aims to boost industrialisation and manufacturing at the district levels to promote the goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• The union ministry of commerce and industry is working on an institutional mechanism to promote the ODOP scheme.
• Uttar Pradesh government was the first state of India to launch the concept of One District One Product in 2018. The aim was to encourage indigenous and specialised products such as carpets from Bhadohi, perfumes from Kannauj or Kalanamak rice of Siddharthnagar district etc.
• It also aimed to create product specific traditional industrial hubs across 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.
• The ODOP scheme so-far has helped the state in increasing its exports by about 30 per cent and has also helped it in becoming the third-highest exporter among all states.
• The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is now working on an institutional mechanism to promote the ODOP scheme across India. The intent behind this is to make India a manufacturing powerhouse.
• The scheme will boost existing industrial capacity beyond urban areas by strengthening productive manufacturing of rural or semi-urban areas.