Shillonv 23g No: The two-day 24th Regional Committee meeting for Zone-III of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) commenced on Saturday at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Kailash Choudhury graced the occasion as the chief guest in the presence of Assam Agriculture Minister, Atul Bora, as the guest of honour.

Addressing the gathering, Choudhury said that research should be focused to fully prepare the farmers with needed technologies for organic agriculture.

Stating that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has set the target for doubling farmers’ income by 2022, Choudhury said the farming sector will have to play a very important role in building the $5 trillion economy by 2024.

“For this, the scientists have to keep the road map ahead and come up with innovative technologies which benefit the farmers,” he stressed.

Bora said, the government has focused on “Act East Policy” and stressed on the fact that the focus should be on agricultural development of the region and maximum utilization of the resources available. He appreciated the works and efforts made by KVKs of Assam.

Dr. T. Mohapatra, Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR said that research should not only be production oriented, but post harvest management processing and marketing should be an integral part of the research activity.

He urged the participants to emphasize on the strengths in agricultural sector, and utilize the resources of the region for maximum benefits.

The Regional Committee comprised of the eight states in the North East Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim & Tripura.

The Regional Committee aimed at providing a forum to researchers and state government functionaries to examine major gaps in the current research and training efforts in farming sector; identify priorities and decide agenda of research and extension education for the coming two years.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has set up eight Regional Committees on the basis of agro-climatic regions. The regional committee meeting is organized to bridge the gap and enhance agricultural productivity through development of cutting edge technology, efficient technology dissemination, entrepreneurship and human resource development.

The other dignitaries present were Dr. R.C. Agrawal, DDG Education, ICAR and Nodal Officer RCM, Shri B. Pradhan Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor DARE ICAR, and Dr. B.K Kandpal, Director, ICAR, Umiam.

The two-day meeting which will conclude on Sunday, witnessed a series of presentations and agenda settings by various State governments. A series of publications were also released in the presence of the dignitaries.

Atleast 150 delegates from the region, including Principal Secretaries/Secretaries from different states participated in the meeting with the vision to make agricultural research reach the farmers and to ensure food, nutrition and livelihood security in the North Eastern region.