New Delhi: Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj & Food Processing Industries Narendra Singh Tomar dedicated to the nation yesterday the campus of the new Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Gogamukh, Assam.
Speaking on the occasion, Narendra Singh Tomar announced that the IARI, Assam will be named after Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. The Minister said that as visualized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the setting up of this Institute will give an impetus to the development of agricultural education and research in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim, in addition to Assam. By the year 2050, the population of the country and the challenge of climate change will increase considerably. The Government is working in the direction that the country’s agricultural sector remains strong to be able to meet these challenges and there are sufficient food reserves at all times.
Appreciating the lead role played by the country’s agricultural scientists in bringing about the Green Revolution by developing several high yielding seed and crop varieties, Tomar said that the country is now not only self-sufficient but also surplus in foodgrains production.
The Government has made efforts to plug the gaps in the development process, and as a result, new Agricultural Research Institutes have been established in Jharkhand and Assam. Sikkim is now a totally organic state, and other states are also progressing in this direction. The Minister stressed that in view of the challenge of climate change and water scarcity, it is important to undertake crop diversification and develop varieties that require less water to grow. He also emphasized the importance of locally grown crops for enhancing farmers’ income and export opportunities.
Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbanand Sonowal thanked the Prime Minister for the establishment of IARI, Assam and expressed hope that the Institute would be able to fulfil its objectives. He emphasized on research activities on locally grown horticultural crops of the region for enhancing farm income of small and marginal farmers through enterprise diversification. He also hoped that the north-eastern states will be again known as “Bowl of Rice” with the support of ICAR-IARI, Assam.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary, Director General, ICAR Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, public representatives, scientists and government officials were present at the inauguration ceremony. The report of the institute was presented and emphasized on water use efficiency from June to September in the north-eastern region and organic farming of locally grown crops.