Fifty Years ago, establishment of All India coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP) was a watershed in the history of rice research that helped launch a revolution food production in India. While developing and testing semi dwarf varieties and related production technologies, the AICRIP has grown as a holistic system over the years. Established by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the AICRIP got elevated to the Directorate in 1975 and the same has aptly been upgraded to Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) on the 50th year of its service to the nation. Indian Institute of Rice Research is vested with the mission to maintain AICTIP and develop technologies to enhance as well as sustain rice productivity, resource use efficiency and profitability of rice cultivation with least adverse impact on the environment. The Institute is also spearheading the rice research in irrigated rice ecosystem focusing on making the country not only self sufficient in food production but also earn foreign exchange through surplus rice exports.
Rice is the staple food for more than half of the World’s population and its production is most important source of employment and income for rural areas. A vast majority of the rice farmers all over the world face several environmental, economic and socio-political challenges. The irrigated and rainfed upland rice production ecosystems were found to be the most and least sustainable respectively. For every one billion people added to the world’s population, 100 million more tons of rice need to be produced each year. But the challenges facing rice production are great. Rice production systems need to be more equitable, efficient, environmentally friendly, and more resilient to climate change, while contributing to green house gas emissions.
It is to be noted here that the promotion of both production and processing technologies in rice is one of the most important components to address the production and processing technological problems faced by the rice farmers all over the world. The proposed training will give a platform for the trainees to learn the finer aspects of production and processing technologies in rice. The Objectives of the 15 days training Programme was:
1. To introduce the production and processing technologies of rice and to demonstrate the available technological options to make rice production as a profitable enterprise.
2. To build capacities of the participants on both production and processing technologies of rice in an eco-friendly and more profitable basis.
3. To sensitize the participants on the ecologically sound production ante processing technological components of irrigated rice and
4. To abreast the participants about the latest developments in rice sector, value addition and to develop viable plan to address the issues of production and processing aspects of rice.
With the Major Focus Areas of the Training Module was -
Introduction to Rice Production Technology
- Rice Research: Current status and Future prospects
- High Yielding Rice Varieties for different ecosystems
- Agronomic Approaches for Enhancing Rice Production
- Rice based cropping systems rice
- Role of Integrated and Site Specific Nutrient Management in Rice
- Production Microbial Resources for profitable rice production
- Understanding Rice Physiology
- Hybrid Rice to enhancing the yield
- System of Rice Intensification (SRI )- to address water and labour
- problems Keys to Identify Insect Pests of Rice in the Field
- Identification of Weeds in rice
- Major Weed Problems in Rice and Integrated Weed Management
- Organic Rice Farming – Concept and Scope for Practice
- Insect Pests of Rice and their Management in India
- Integrated Diseases Management in Rice
- Major disease in rice
- Biotechnological Approaches for sustainable Rice Production
- Short grain aromatic rice in India
- Physio- chemical components of Quality rice.
- Potential of medicinal rice
- Value addition in rice ( Rice Helath care products)
- Modern Rice Mill Technology for value addition
- Biofortification in rice to address the nutrient disorders
- Development of Basmati rice and its export potential
- Innovative Extension Approaches for Transfer of sustainable Rice
- Production Technology Methodology
The participants and resource persons will work together to identify and analyse both the production and processing constraints in rice production. The participants will be familiarized with relevant rice production practices covering integrated water, weed, pest and crop management practices. The subject matter will be delivered through I. Lectures followed by discussion supported by power point slides or II. II. Video tapes III. Group Panel Discussion IV. Filed/Laboratory Visits and V. Practical in formulation and presentation of Country specific action plan.
Accordingly an international training program on “Critical Rice Production and Processing Technologies’’ was organized at ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad from 20th February, 2018 to 6th March, 2018. The training program was sponsored by MANAGE under Feed the Future-India Triangular Training (FTF-ITT). Twenty participants from seven countries viz., Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Myanmar, Sudan and Uganda have participated in the training program. The inaugural session was held on 20th February, 2018 and Dr.V.Praveen Rao, Vice Chancellor of PJTSAU delivered the inaugural address.
A total 53 sessions including seven field visits were undertaken and the participants were exposed to critical issues in rice production and processing technologies.
In the Valedictory session Smt.Usha Rani, IAS, Director General MANAGE, presided over the concluding session and addressed the delegates.
Chander Mohan
Krishi Jagran
