Sri. Sudarshan Bhagat, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India visited ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram on 28th January 2017.The minister inaugurated the precision water and nutrient management facility as a part of ‘More crop per drop’ research programme of the Institute to fulfill the objective of the hon’ble Prime Minister’s dream programme of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation ‘Har Khet ko pani’ and improving water use efficiency ‘More crop per drop’ in a focused manner with end to end solution on source creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities.The Institute has developed drip fertigation technology for tropical tuber crops and is being implemented in the farm to save the precious water and nutrients.
The minister has visited the farm of the Institute and made a review of the work done and facilities available at the Institute such as germplasm conservation, Techno Incubation Centre, E- crop, biopesticides laboratory and transgenics laboratory.The minister also had a glance of the display of 53 varieties of tropical tuber crops that the Institute has developed over the past 53 years of its existence which were exhibited in the Crop Museum of the Institute.
The minister also inaugurated the cashless transaction facility at the Institute as well as distributed planting materials of tropical tuber crops to the selected model farmers for on-farm demonstration of ICAR-CTCRI technologies under the ‘Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav’ programme of the government. The ‘Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav’ programme has been conceptualized in which scientists of ICAR-CTCRI have identified 40 villages in the vicinity of the Institute and regularly providing advisories and consultations to farmers for increasing farm productivity and production.
The minister also made a review of the various activities of the Institute by having a discussion with heads of divisions (HODs), sections, Senior Administrative Officer and Finance and Accounts Officer. An exhibition of the different technologies and varieties released by the Institute was also arranged and the minister visited the exhibition and had discussion about the different technologies and varieties.
