Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary of DARE and Director General of ICAR, paid a visit to the ICAR-CRIJAF in Barrackpore on Sunday and spoke with staff members, farmers, scientists, and directors of the institutes' regional stations in Kolkata.
He emphasised on farmers' involvement in technology development and on-farm research in his speech to farmers, farm women, SHG members, and scientists. Dr. Pathak highlighted his delight with the ICAR-CRIJAF technologies' promotion and outreach efforts as well as the farmers' comments on how well they improved crop production and quality while lowering cultivation costs.
In his interaction with the farmers, he told them to present the scientists with their most pressing farming issue so that they might conduct on-farm tests in their fields to create practical problem-solving technology. He also honored a few forward-thinking farmers and gave out farm equipment and essential agricultural inputs created by ICAR-CRIJAF.
In his speech to the ICAR-CRIJAF staff, the DG emphasised the need for the ICAR institutions to be more active in order to confront upcoming challenges and the Council's ongoing change. Additionally, he went through a few field studies conducted at the ICAR-CRIJAF research farm and praised the idea of integrated jute retting structures. He also pictured the institutes' fibre museum and exhibition space, which had displays of all practical technologies and a variety of fibres.
According to the DG of ICAR, this facility is a good idea for showcasing, popularising, and disseminating the technologies, seeds, implements, and a variety of jute products developed by this Institute. Additionally, he opened some freshly built facilities at the institute's entrance gate cum sale counter and farmers' hostel in North-24 Parganas (Additional).
Participants in this programme included about 250 farmers, farm women, SHG members, scientists, and ICAR institution staff. A vote of gratitude to the chair was taken to adjourn the meeting.
