Rice technologies feature in India farmers’ fair

BIHAR, India - Rice technologies were showcased during the Kisan Kalyan Mela 2017 (agriculture exhibit) held at the Motihari District of Bihar on 15-19 April 2017. The event commemorates the  100th year of the Champaran Satyagrah movement initiated by Mahatma Gandhi, whom many consider the “father of the nation,” to help poor farmers in the region.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
Shri Radha Mohan Singh at the IRRI booth.
(Photo courtesy of IRRI India)  

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Sh. Radha Mohan Singh, in a message, brought attention to the need for techniques to increase crop production using less water, using proper fertilizer management to improve soil health, and by increasing the role of agriculture extension workers in building farmers’ technical know-how. He cited as an example micro-irrigation technology to minimize water loss.

Minister Singh, visiting the IRRI booth (photo), expressed appreciation for IRRI’s work in the dissemination of stress-tolerant rice varieties and system intensification technologies, all done with the support of NARES partners. The booth was put together by a team from the IRRI India office.

Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) Director General T. Mohapatra, for his part, emphasized crop diversification as a means toward sustainable agricultural growth in India.

The farmers’ fair was jointly organized by India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Bihar’s Agriculture Department. It had the theme, “Doubling farmers’ income by 2022.” (Contributed by Ashish Kumar Srivastava and Rohit Katara/IRRI India)

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