ICAR-CIARI Celebrates 48th Foundation Day

23 June 2025, Sri Vijaya Puram

ICAR–Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Sri Vijaya Puram, celebrated its 48th Foundation Day today with a vibrant programme recognizing its sustained contributions to island agriculture.

Shri G. Santhanam, General Manager, NABARD, graced the occasion as Chief Guest, while Dr. Aparup Das, Director, ICMR-RMRC, was the Guest of Honour.

In his address, Shri Santhanam lauded ICAR-CIARI's pivotal role in agricultural research across diverse sectors including horticulture, crop and animal sciences, fisheries, and natural resource management. He highlighted NABARD’s developmental initiatives such as Farmer Producer Organizations, Watershed and Tribal Development and expressed interest in future collaboration with the institute on rural livelihood models including rooftop gardening, organic farming, tribal empowerment, and protected cultivation.

Dr. Aparup Das delivered the Foundation Day lecture on "Genomic Evidence for the Zoonotic Origin of Malaria in India," emphasizing animal-to-human transmission dynamics. He expressed keen interest in joint research on zoonotic diseases, medicinal plants, and the One Health approach.

Dr. Eaknath B. Chakurkar, Director, ICAR-CIARI, highlighted the institute's key achievements over the past year, including the successful commercialization of 12 technologies. He commended the efforts under the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan and acknowledged the contributions of KVKs and the Lakshadweep Regional Station.

The event saw the release of 10 technical publications and the felicitation of progressive farmers from Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep for adopting ICAR-CIARI technologies. Outstanding contributions by scientists and staff were recognized across domains such as research, fieldwork, publications, and institutional service.

On this occasion, the Institute commercialized a technology titled “Dweep Go Fly”, a synthetic and herbal-based fly repellent.

Earlier in the day, dignitaries planted saplings of the dwarf coconut variety, and also visited exhibitions showcasing the diverse varieties and technologies developed by the Institute.

(Source: ICAR–Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Sri Vijaya Puram)