26th Meeting of ICAR Regional Committee No. - VII organized

25^th August, 2021, Bhopal

“The agriculture research and technology development have enabled the country for increasing the production of food grains, horticultural crops, fish, milk and eggs, etc., by many folds during the last 70 years. This has made a visible impact on the national food and nutritional security!”, said Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. Shri Rupala addressing the “26^th Meeting of ICAR Regional Committee No. - VII” virtually organized by the ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh today.

The various Schemes being promoted by the Government for the development of animal husbandry and fisheries sectors were highlighted in the Union Minister’s address. Shri Rupala underlined a plethora of scope for improvement in the fisheries and animal husbandry sector in addition to agriculture. The efforts made by NARS for developing Bt Cotton Varieties were appreciated by the Union Minister. He also emphasized on developing the nanotechnologies in fertilizer and micronutrient applications, enhancing oilseed production, processing and value-addition of agro-products.

Shri Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare underlined the present challenges encountered by the agricultural sector - reducing availability of quality water, nutrient deficiency in soils, climate change, farm energy availability, loss of biodiversity, emergence of new pest and diseases, fragmentation of farms and rural-urban migration, etc.

Ms. Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare appreciated the leadership role of the states of the region in food grains, fruits, vegetables and fish production. The Minister stressed that every effort needs to be made for doubling the farmers income by 2022.

Shri Kamal Patel, Minister for Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh highlighted the contributions of the agriculture and allied sectors towards the country’s economy during the COVID-19 Pandemic period. He stressed on developing organic farming in the state.

In his address, Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR), New Delhi briefed about the genesis of the Regional Committees. Dr. Mohapatra applauded the states of the Region for their achievements in agriculture and allied sectors in the last two years. Some key analysis regarding the cropping intensities, farm income, seed replacement rates, livestock populations and yield gaps particular to four states were outlined in the DG’s address.

Earlier, Dr. Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Engineering) & Nodal Officer, ICAR Regional Committee - VII delivered the welcome address.

Dr. C.R. Mehta, Director, ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal & Member Secretary, ICAR Regional Committee - VII proposed the vote of thanks during the inaugural session.

The Meeting was aimed at identifying and providing solutions for the issues related to agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries sector in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh & Goa.

The Secretaries of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry; Senior Officials from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Goa; ICAR Institutes and Vice-Chancellors of State Agricultural Universities participated in the meeting.

(Source: ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh)