Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India — Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare · PIB Delhi · Read the original release on pib.gov.in
- Shri Chouhan appreciated the efforts of scientists in taking technologies from “Lab to Land”
- Shri Chouhan stressed on the importance of scientific agriculture, improved seeds, integrated farming, balanced nutrient management and location-specific agricultural technologies in Jharkhand.
- ICAR-IIAB organizes Pre-Rabi Farmers Seminar for 1,500 farmers
Pre-Rabi Farmers Seminar-cum-Agriculture Input Distribution Program was organized by ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (ICAR-IIAB), Garhkhatanga, Ranchi under Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) on 08 October 2026. About 1,500 farmers from Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla and Ramgarh districts participated in the program. The objective of the program was to establish direct communication between farmers, scientists and policy-makers and to encourage farmers to adopt scientific and sustainable agricultural practices.
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated various new facilities of ICAR-IIAB through video conferencing. These include Admin-cum-School Building, Birsa Munda Multipurpose Auditorium, Jaipal Singh Munda Sports Complex and NEXTGEN Breeding Facility. Along with this, the foundation stone of the new guest house at ICAR-IIAB was also laid, the cost of which is Rs 119 crore.
Addressing the program through video conferencing, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, while mentioning the rich natural and traditional heritage of Jharkhand, said that the tribal traditions here have a deep understanding of the conservation and importance of water, plants and other elements of nature. He underlined ICAR-IIAB as a confluence of research, innovation and self-reliance.
Shri Chouhan said that to deal with the current agricultural challenges, it is necessary to adopt scientific and technology based agriculture along with traditional knowledge. He emphasized on selection of suitable crops and varieties as per the local conditions and available resources of Jharkhand, availability of improved seeds to the farmers and delivery of technologies developed by agricultural research institutes to the fields.
The Union Agriculture Minister stressed the need to make farmers aware about integrated farming system encompassing vegetables, grains and livestock, balanced nutrient management and proper use of fertilizers. He laid special emphasis on the need to ensure effective control over the problem of fake seeds, adulterated fertilizers and substandard pesticides. He called for extending the benefits of farmer welfare schemes to every village and providing scientific information and training to the farmers for the upcoming Rabi season. Appreciating the efforts being made by the scientists towards “Lab to Land”, he also called for launching a nationwide “Save Farm Campaign” in the coming days.
On this occasion, Shri Bhagirath Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in his address underlined the important role of farmers in the food security and development of the country. He stressed on adoption of modern agricultural technologies, value addition, making farmer producer organizations and Krishi Vigyan Kendras more effective, soil testing and balanced fertilizer use. He encouraged farmers to use natural farming in a part of their agricultural land and stressed the need to protect farmers from spurious seeds, adulterated fertilizers and substandard pesticides. He called for further strengthening of efforts for effective implementation of farmer welfare schemes and taking agricultural technologies to farmers through “Lab to Land”.
Addressing the program, Dr. M.L. Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR stressed the need to further strengthen agricultural research and knowledge institutions in Jharkhand while highlighting the possibilities of a new revolution in the agricultural sector in Eastern India. He called for wide-scale adoption of Rice-Fallow Intensification, selection of suitable crops and varieties according to local conditions, increasing livestock productivity and promotion of research to solve agricultural challenges like acidic soil and phosphorus deficiency. He also stressed on preparing proper agricultural plan for the upcoming Rabi season and encouraging natural and organic farming.
Dr. D.K. Yadav, Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, stressed the need to tailor agricultural research to the needs of farmers and take the technologies developed from research to the last farmer. He also highlighted the importance of development of students, proper guidance and providing better opportunities for them in the field of agricultural research.
Before the program, Shri Bhagirath Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare met Dr. M.L. Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); Dr. D.K. Yadav, Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR; Visited various facilities of the Institute along with Dr. Sujay Rakshit, Director, ICAR-IIAB and Dr. Vijay Pal Bhadana, Joint Director (Research), ICAR-IIAB. During this, he visited the Dairy Farm, Crop Research and Training Centre, NEXTGEN Breeding Facility and Integrated Farming System (IFS) Unit. In the dairy farm, they were given information about embryo transfer technique for genetic improvement of livestock. At the IFS unit he interacted with farmers and learned about integrated farming systems, agricultural waste recycling and resource-efficient farming practices. The Honorable Minister also participated in the plantation program and interacted with progressive farmers. On this occasion, exhibitions based on agricultural crops, livestock and dairy technologies, research achievements, agricultural schemes and farmer-oriented innovations were also organized by ICAR institutes and various departments of the Government of Jharkhand.
In the Kisan Seminar, farmers were given information on topics like Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and their opportunities in Jharkhand, Ethno-Veterinary Medicine and Dairy Farming, Production Technology of Fruit Crops, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Rabi Crops, Crop Diversification and Integrated Farming System, Organic and Natural Farming, Livestock Feed Management and Lac Cultivation. Farmers interacted with scientists and technical experts and obtained practical information regarding advanced agriculture and animal husbandry methods. Various agricultural and livestock inputs including nano urea, nano DAP, mineral mixture, improved seeds, seed kits of wheat, pea, mustard and vegetables, milk can coolers and high yielding tomato and brinjal seed varieties were distributed among the farmers. Various publications and technologies developed by ICAR institutes were also released on the occasion.
On this occasion Dr. R. Ramani, former officer special duty; Dr. K. Of. Sharma, Former Director (In-charge); Dr. Tilak Raj Sharma, former Acting Director and Joint Director (Research); And Dr. Arunav Patnaik, the first regular Director of ICAR-IIAB was honored for his contribution and growth of the institute.
At the end of the program, Dr. Sujay Rakshit, Director, ICAR-IIAB reiterated ICAR-IIAB's commitment towards strengthening the farmer-scientist-policy-maker dialogue and taking agricultural research and innovation to the fields in the interest of the farmers of Jharkhand.
This is the official press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), and is published without changes.
