35th Annual Workshop on All India Network Project of Jute and Allied Fibres

22nd-23rd February 2024, Barrackpore

ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, organised the 35th Annual Workshop of All India Network Project on Jute and Allied Fibres, on 22nd-23rd February 2024 in Barrckpore.

The Chief Guest, Dr. T. R. Sharma, Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), ICAR, commended the institute for streamlining research projects to break yield barriers, bridge the gap, and harness pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and ecosystem values from jute and allied fiber crops, generating technology for holistic benefits. He further added that the low lignin agri-drone-based monitoring and precise input application, along with a high-throughput machine for ribboning, will significantly change jute cultivation. Dr. Sharma emphasized the importance of early maturity, higher yield, quality, biotic and abiotic resistance, N-responsiveness, and ideal intercropping for new varieties. Pre-breeding, speed breeding, and genomic-assisted breeding will accelerate the development of desirable traits for higher varietal replacement.

Dr. D. K. Yadava, Assistant Director General (Seed & CC), ICAR, highlighted the global potential of jute and allied fiber crops for fiber, food, energy, and fuel, as well as ecosystem services. He noted that jute exports are comparable to or better than other important field crops, and emphasized the need to promote technologies from AINPJAF to bridge the inter-state yield gap.

Dr. D. K. Yadava, Assistant Director General (Seeds and Commercial Crops) and Dr. A. K. Jolly, Chairman and MD, of Jute Corporation of India, were the chief guests on this occasion.

Shri. A. K. Jolly, Chairman and Managing Director, Jute Corporation of India, spoke about the promotion of new varieties and technologies developed by ICAR-CRIJAF. Jute cultivation has undergone a significant transformation, covering 15% of the total jute area.

Dr. Gouranga Kar, Director of ICAR-CRIJAF, highlighted India's global lead in jute fiber and seed production. He said that the institute's research objective is to convert the import to export of jute.

The All India Network Project on Jute and Allied Fibres is playing an important role in developing high-yielding varieties of jute and allied fiber crops along with their suitable production and protection technologies for different states of the country. The progress of the AINP on Jute and Allied Fibres is noteworthy. Since its inception, more than 90 improved varieties of jute and allied fibers have been released through this project.  

The institute has promoted four key technologies among over 4 lakh jute growers in West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Bihar, Meghalaya, and Andhra Pradesh.

More than 70 scientists working on jute and allied fiber crops attended the event.

(Source: ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore)