Significance of Rice Crop as One of the Most Important Crops in India

In view of the significance of rice crop as one of the most important crops in India with the largest area and production, the National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack organized the 54^th Annual Rice Research Group Meeting at its New Auditorium at Cuttack, Oddisa.  

Dr. D.K. Yadava, ADG (Seeds), ICAR, New Delhi applauded the NRRI team for the conduct of Annual Rice Group Meeting for the first time in NRRI. He highlighted the significance of rice crop as one of the most important crops in the country with the largest area and production.  

Dr. Yadava outlined the importance of the largest network of AICRIP having 45 funded and more than 100 voluntary centers that conduct 939 experiments every year. He also stated that the rice research at ICAR is complimented by CRPs on bio-fortification, molecular breeding and Hybrid Rice in addition to the high end research projects like C3-C4 and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF).Dr. Dinesh Kumar, ADG (FFC) expressed his concerns on the failure of most of the released varieties in getting place in the National Seed System despite the tremendous efforts of scientists under AICRIP system. Dr. Kumar urged the scientists to develop the varieties with yield potential of 10-12 tonnes by insulating the varieties with the disease and pest-resistance for the diverse ecologies with the advantage of new scientific tools and techniques. 

Earlier, Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director, ICAR-NRRI welcomed the dignitaries and delegates of AICRIP, seed industry and other participants. He stated about the genesis of AICRIP and its contribution towards the service of farming community, despite the plethora of challenges of climate change, low income and other issues.Dr. S.R. Voleti, Director, ICAR-IIRR outlined the research highlights of AICRIP and IIRR. He appreciated the support and cooperation of all the members of AICRIP for contributing to the success of AICRIP for more than five decades.A total of 13 Publications from NRRI (6), IIRR (5) and CSKHPKV, Malan (2) and two android mobile apps from IIRR were released during the session.