ICAR-NIRCA celebrates its Foundation Day

21st January 2025, Rajahmundry

ICAR-National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture celebrated its Foundation Day at the ICAR-NIRCA premises in Rajahmundry today.

The Chief Guest, Shri Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma, Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Steel, unveiled the new logo and renamed the building ICAR-NIRCA. He lauded the institute's expansion to support commercial crops like turmeric, chilli, castor, and ashwagandha, alongside tobacco, highlighting its potential to benefit Indian farmers. Shri Varma also emphasized how ICAR-NIRCA will drive post-harvest innovation, value addition, and economic upliftment, aligning with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision to double farmers' income through commercialization.

Dr T.R Sharma, Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), ICAR, inaugurated the Genome Editing Laboratory at the Crop Improvement Division of ICAR-NIRCA and examined the tobacco plants developed through genome editing in the greenhouse. He also inaugurated the ICAR-NIRCAs NEST’(outlet to sell value-added products made from Turmeric and Ashwagandha). Dr Sharma accentuated the need for the collection, characterization and utilization of genetic resources of newly mandated crops for value addition.  He urged the scientists to emphasize basic research and specific focus on micro-biome studies to identify and clone M-genes for harnessing climate resilience.

Dr. M. Sheshu Madhav, Director, ICAR-NIRCA, briefed the ongoing and future plans of research programmes of ICAR-NIRCA, which are in tune with the Viksit Bharat Action Plan.

A publication entitled ‘Redefining Research: Transformation from CTRI to NIRCA’ was also released.

Scientists from ICAR institutes and universities, officials from the Agriculture and Horticulture Departments, farmers from A.P. and Tamil Nadu, APCNF farmers, NGOs, stakeholders, and trade and industry representatives attended the programme.

(Source: ICAR-National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture, Rajahmundry)