The State Government has decided to set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to help promote export of agricultural produce and flowers of high commercial value.

The Agriculture Department has identified products like cashew, turmeric, kewda and betel leaf for export. The other potential items for exports include vegetables, mushroom products, onion, sweet potato, mango and banana.

Kandhamal produces some of the best organically grown turmeric and ginger in large quantities. In 2013-14, turmeric production was more than 2.21 tonne with 28,173 hectare of land under farming.

Since the tribal farmers do not have a marketing tie-up, traders from other districts, who help them financially before cultivation, buy their produce post harvest in lieu of the cash-help, sources in the Horticulture Department said.

The SPV will assist in setting up common facility centres and creation of infrastructure like pack houses, godowns, cool rooms and research and development units for obtaining phytosanitary certificates and capacity building of stakeholders.

The issue was discussed at a meeting here recently. It was decided that a team consisting of members from producers group and exporters will visit Maharashtra for a better understanding of the functioning of SPV and commodity-based cooperative functioning in that state.