by Preeti Bharti and Priyanka Anand
BHUBANESWAR, India—Manoj
Ahuja (3rd from right in photo), principal secretary in Odisha’s Department of Agriculture and Farmers’
Empowerment (DoA), recognized the efforts of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) in reaching out to farmers during a Round Table Discussion on Mechanization here on 1 June.
"The government is committed to the development
of agriculture and is hopeful that much can happen through farm mechanization," Ahuja said. "Let's
work collaboratively to benefit Odisha’s farmers and to help in the state's progress.”
As agricultural mechanization
starts to gain momentum in the state, Dr. P.K. Mehedra, commissioner and director,
Agriculture and Food Production, Government of Odisha, said that agroservice
centers could play a vital role in promoting and fast-tracking the technology in the state. He expected CSISA to locate and map
all agroservice centers in the state and then link them with service providers and
farmers.
Dr. R.K. Malik,
senior agronomist, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, discussed
CSISA’s initiatives for quality zero-tillage machines fitted with inverted-T
type tynes and laser land leveling, which the project has introduced over the
past three years. Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, senior scientist at the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and rainfed lowland agronomist for South
Asia, presented CSISA’s plans for the next five years.
Dr. P.K. Paikray, joint
director for agriculture (engineering), DoA, and Dr. Ashok Kumar, IRRI
coordinator of the CSISA Odisha hub, were among the 50 participants, which
included manufacturers of farm machinery and implements, senior agriculture officials,
and service providers from around the state.
CSISA organized the event in conjunction with the
Government of Odisha and machine manufacturers in Bhubaneswar.
Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).
No comments:
Post a Comment