The MoU was signed by Ramashis Hazra, Director, AH & VS and Sunil Sinha, Senior General Manager, NDDB in presence of Ranendra Pratap Swain, Minister Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Fisheries and ARD.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said establishment of this unit will make Odisha self-sufficient in production of anthrax and Enterotoxaemia vaccine. Besides meeting its own requirement, the state will be able to supply the vaccines to other states, he added.

The project has been taken up as 5T initiative to transform the healthcare and disease management of livestock and poultry. At present, the existing satellite unit of OBPI at Berhampur is producing 22 lakh doses of Anthrax Spore Vaccine (ASV) and 14 lakh doses of Enterotoxaemia Vaccine (ENTV) annually in conventional method.

The Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) laboratory in compliance with WHO norms and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 of India will produce world class quality vaccine. Once operational, it will produce 2 crore doses of ENTV and 50 lakh of ASV vaccines.

NDDB will provide consultancy, supervisory services for setting up of the GMP unit, along with completion of the trial runs and final commissioning of the plant. Its construction has been taken up at a cost of Rs 52 crore and will be completed in 36 months.

Anu Garg, Development Commissioner, Suresh Kumar Vashisth, Principal Secretary, Fisheries and ARD, Sunil Sinha, Senior General Manager, NDDB, Sudhansu KK Mishra, CGM, NABARD also spoke on the occasion.