ICAR-DGR organizes Industry Interface Meeting

28^th December, 2019, Junagarh, Gujarat

The ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Junagarh, Gujarat organized an “Industries Interface Meeting” today.

Dr. V.P. Chovatia, Vice-Chancellor of Junagadh Agricultural University; Shri Khushwant Jain, Chairman, IOPEPC; Dr. I.U. Druj, Former Associate Director of Research, Junagarh Agricultural University, Junagarh; Dr. Manish Pandey, Senior Scientist, ICRISAT; Shri Samir Shah, President, Saurashtra Oil Millers Association and Dr. Radhakrishnan T., Director, ICAR-DGR and representative from different industries and Institutions attended the meeting.

The various deliberations on significance of confectionery groundnut, need for production of export-oriented groundnut, importance of promoting cultivation of high oleic groundnut and microbial technologies for enhancing productivity of groundnut were made during the occasion.

The dignitaries highlighted the importance of developing the high yielding groundnut varieties which are industry-worthy, having high oleic acid and can address the concerns of climate change.

The consensus drawn in the meeting were:

• The need to initiate the research on developing varieties having round and uniform shaped kernel, attractive color and boldness for meeting the requirement of confectionery industries.
• To streamline the development, popularization and cultivation of high oleic groundnut for make the high oleic groundnut oil available in the market at the earliest for health conscious customers.
• To popularize and make available the low cost production technologies like Bio-fertilizers in the market at the earliest for enabling them to reach to the needy farmers for improving the yield and income.
• To give an emphasis on increasing the production of quality seeds of improved high yielding groundnut varieties.

The main objective of the meeting was to address the issues concerning the groundnut productivity, export and need of groundnut industries and to bring all stakeholders on a common platform.

(Source: ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Junagarh, Gujarat)