In a major outreach initiative under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP), the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Pusa (Bihar) organized a Training-cum-Seed Distribution Programme on “Scientific Rice Farming” for farmers from Muzaffarpur district, Bihar.
Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director & Vice-Chancellor, ICAR-IARI, inaugurated the programme emphasized the significance of adopting scientific practices in rice cultivation. He highlighted the role of nutritional security through kitchen gardening, the development of site-specific profitable farming models, and the importance of balanced and soil test-based fertilizer application in enhancing productivity and sustainability.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. C. Viswanathan, Joint Director (Research), stressed the importance of promoting biofortified and climate-resilient rice varieties to meet the challenges of climate change and malnutrition.
The technical sessions covered a wide array of contemporary topics, including: direct seeded rice (DSR), weed and soil health management, zero tillage techniques, integrated farming systems, participatory seed production. Live demonstrations on seed treatment and the operation of zero tillage machinery provided farmers with hands-on exposure to modern rice farming technologies. The programme concluded with a dynamic interactive session between scientists and farmers, fostering mutual learning and feedback.
As a key highlight, certified seeds of high-yielding rice varieties (PNR-381 and Pusa Samba 1850) were distributed to more than 500 farmers.
https://icar.org.in/training-and-seed-distribution-programme-organized
