Latest news with #IndianInstituteofVegetableResearch
Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Shivraj bats for technology transfer to farmers
Varanasi: Chairing a review meeting with scientists of Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR) here on Friday evening, Union minister of agriculture and farmers welfare and rural development, Shivraj Singh Chauhan emphasised the need for agricultural scientists to advance the developed agriculture resolution campaign and accelerate communication with farmers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Commending the nationwide success of the campaign, Chauhan stressed the need to enhance food quality, ensure its benefits reach farmers, and intensify awareness on genome editing, seed treatment, organic and natural farming to boost vegetable production. He called for strong measures against counterfeit fertilisers, substandard seeds, and harmful pesticides, which adversely affect farmers. Highlighting the role of the country's 16,000 agricultural scientists, the minister praised the Lab to Land programme, which aligns research efforts with farmers' actual needs. He urged research focused on increasing the shelf life of tomatoes, developing export-friendly crops, and enhancing dry powder yield. He also pushed for data-driven research in organic and traditional farming, emphasizing work aligned with the Developed Agriculture Resolution Campaign. Chauhan noted the need to foster innovation at the grassroots, reduce input costs, ensure fair pricing, and promote natural farming. He also advocated for improved coordination among KVKs, research institutes, and state agriculture departments, and emphasized a region-specific action plan for the upcoming Rabi season, especially in light of climate change challenges. IIVR Director Dr. Rajesh Kumar shared that under the campaign, IIVR scientists have reached over 61,000 farmers across 825 villages in six districts. Sudhakar Pandey, Assistant Director General, ICAR, provided an overview of the institute's ongoing initiatives.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
IIVR's outreach drive engages 44K farmers across 6 UP dists
Varanasi: The Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi has recorded unprecedented success during an 11-day agricultural outreach programme conducted under the Ministry of Agriculture's nationwide initiative Viksit Krishi Samkalp Abhiyan-2025. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The campaign, held from May 29 to June 8, reached over 44,000 farmers across six districts of Uttar Pradesh. Briefing mediapersons on Monday, IIVR director Dr Rajesh Kumar said 18 expert teams comprising more than 50 scientists from IIVR collaborated with Krishi Vigyan Kendras and officials from the state agriculture department. Together, they directly engaged with farmers in Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Sant Ravidas Nagar, and Kushinagar — averaging an outreach of over 4,400 farmers per day. A total of 54 farmer interaction programmes were held across 65 villages in more than 15 blocks. These sessions covered topics such as direct seeding of rice (DSR), high-yielding IIVR vegetable varieties, integrated pest management, natural farming, nano-fertiliser application, protected cultivation, value addition, kitchen gardening, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, and drone-based farm solutions. The campaign also registered 36% participation from women, reflecting the growing involvement of rural women in agriculture. Aligned with the National Natural Farming Mission, the campaign laid special emphasis on organic pest control and reducing chemical input dependency in farming systems. Dr Kumar also highlighted key challenges faced by farmers, including crop damage by wildlife such as nilgai, water scarcity, pest infestations (notably whiteflies and jassids), poor market access, delayed supply of quality seeds, and lack of awareness about government schemes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In the short term, the institute plans to intensify the use of organic pest control measures, pheromone traps, and promote efficient irrigation systems like drip and sprinkler methods. Additionally, plans are underway to establish Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in each district to improve collective bargaining and market access. Mid-term strategies include setting up regional centres of excellence, deploying mobile soil testing labs, and nurturing over 1,000 progressive farmers to become agri-entrepreneurs.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
IIVR scientists reach out to 2,000 farmers across 6 dists under ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan'
1 2 Varanasi: In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to revamp and energize the agriculture sector, the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR) in Varanasi organised a comprehensive farmer awareness programme on Thursday as part of the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan 2025'. According to the IIVR authorities, the programme reached 2,063 farmers across 33 villages in six districts of Uttar Pradesh. Over 50 scientists from the institute engaged in direct technical discussions with farmers through face-to-face interactions. The campaign was conducted in Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Bhadohi and Kushinagar districts, with the highest participation of 462 farmers recorded in Kushinagar. In Varanasi district, 160 farmers from villages Pratappatti, Edilpur, Karaulli, and Daulatiya in Harahua and Sevapuri blocks participated in the programme. During the programme, farmers shared major challenges including Nilgai menace, irregular rainfall, water quality issues, soil health problems, market prices, high water table, urbanisation pressure, and availability of quality seeds. Scientists provided detailed information on natural farming, integrated pest management, new varieties, soil health management, crop diversification, direct seeded rice cultivation, summer ploughing, and govt schemes. IIVR director Rajesh Kumar, who was present at the Karaulli village programme in Varanasi, said, "This campaign is a significant initiative towards doubling farmers' income and promoting sustainable agriculture. Establishing direct dialogue with over 2,000 farmers today is extremely encouraging. Our responsibility is not limited to research alone, but extends to delivering scientific techniques to farmers and solving their problems. The positive response received from this campaign is highly inspiring for us." The institute has also announced regular follow-up programmes and establishment of demonstration plots. Lauding Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, a national campaign aimed at educating farmers about modern and sustainable agricultural technologies as well as practices, CM Yogi Adityanath had on Thursday said that this was the first time when agricultural scientist would come out of their labs and other big institutions to take stock of the agricultural land at the ground level and devise strategies to meet the challenges the farmers face. Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Yogi said that the initiative will prove to be a foundation of the 'Viksit Bharat Abhiyan' envisioned by PM Modi. He said that agriculture scientists, officials from the agriculture and the allied sectors and farmers would come together to wheel in measures for higher agricultural productivity and growth.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan from May 29, to benefit 47k farmers in 6 UP districts
Varanasi: The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, under the leadership of Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), is set to be launched on May 29. Under the ambitious campaign, IIVR scientists will reach out to approximately 47,000 farmers across six districts in the next 15 days, to discuss modern agricultural production and protection technologies. Appealing to scientists to dedicate themselves to this campaign, IIVR Director Rajesh Kumar said that the campaign is not just an opportunity to provide information to farmers, but also an opportunity for trust and guidance, which is an important step towards recognising farmers as nutrition providers and bringing stability to their income. This will also provide scientists an opportunity to establish their identity in the field of agriculture. Nodal officer Neeraj Singh said this campaign will be conducted in Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, and Kushinagar districts until June 12. During this period, scientists will not only provide farmers with information about the latest technologies but will also understand the problems arising in their farming and provide practical solutions. During the campaign, scientists will discuss major topics with farmers, including vegetable research and development, where information about early-maturing, disease-resistant, and nutritious varieties will be provided while encouraging farmers to adopt nutrition gardens and kitchen gardens. To address climate change challenges, farmers will be encouraged to select resilient crop varieties, water conservation techniques, and mixed farming. The impact of changing weather on farming, such as untimely rains, temperature increases and prolonged droughts will be explained in simple language. Information will be provided about the damage caused to soil, water, and health due to the excessive use of agricultural chemicals. Advice will be given to adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM), biological methods, pheromone traps, and neem-based pesticides. Special attention will be given to post-harvest management in the campaign. Farmers will be informed that 30-40% losses in vegetables occur after harvesting. For this, advice will be given to adopt low-cost techniques like zero energy cool chambers, better packaging, and proper transportation. To strengthen the economic condition of farmers, information will be provided about collective marketing through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), value addition, and benefits of govt schemes like Operation Greens. A review meeting was organised at IIVR regarding the preparations for this campaign. It was informed that the data collected through this campaign and farmers' feedback will be analysed on a large scale, and research based on understanding the problems arising in farmers' fields will be promoted.
