Participants of the ICAR Nagaland Centre workshop on promoting oilseeds held in Wokha on August 23.
Morung Express News
Wokha | August 25
The ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Nagaland Centre, organized an interactive workshop on the promotion of oilseeds on August 23 at Conference Hall, ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun, Nagaland with C. Peter Yanthan, Director of Agriculture, Government of Nagaland, as the Chief Guest, and Dr. Girish Patil, S., Director, ICAR-NRC on Mithun, as the Guest of Honor.
Special guests and resource persons included Dr. Md. A. Aziz Qureshi and Dr. Jawahar Lal Jatothu, both Principal Scientists from ICAR-IIOR, Hyderabad. The programme was funded by ICAR-IIOR, Hyderabad.
The programme, funded by ICAR-IIOR, Hyderabad, brought together various officials from line departments across Kohima, Chumukedima, Dimapur, Peren, and Niuland districts, as well as representatives from SAS, KVKs, ATMA, and farmers. Dr. H. Kalita, HoRC, ICAR Nagaland Centre, welcomed the guests and emphasized the importance of increasing cropping intensity by incorporating oilseed crops into rice fallows. He highlighted the development of short-duration and drought-resistant crop varieties by ICAR Nagaland Centre, which would enable effective utilization of rice fallow areas.
In his address, C. Peter Yanthan underscored the need for quality production and suggested exploring indigenous cultivars. He acknowledged the vast potential for cultivating diverse crops due to Nagaland’s wide agro-ecological zones, while also recognizing the challenges faced. He also called for greater collaboration between ICAR and state government departments to enhance the oilseed sector in Nagaland and contribute to the state’s development.
Dr. Girish Patil reiterated the importance of increasing cropping intensity by introducing oilseeds into rice fallows and discussed the use of oilseed byproducts in animal husbandry.
Dr. A. Aziz Qureshi emphasized the importance of generating interest among farmers in oilseed production. He highlighted the region’s potential for organic oilseed farming and advised farmers to unite into self-help groups or collectives. This, he noted, would facilitate mass cultivation and marketing, making it easier to establish processing units and maximize profits. Additionally,he stressed the need for focusing on value addition and establishing strong marketing linkages.
Dr. Jawahar Lal presented a comprehensive package of practices for oilseed crops such as sesame, linseed, sunflower, and safflower to enhance oilseed production in Nagaland. He recommended conducting adaptive trials to identify the most suitable crop varieties for different locations across the state. He also emphasized the importance of capacity-building programs to support the promotion of oilseeds.
Dr. Harendra Verma, Scientist, Project Investigator of Oilseeds Research at ICAR Nagaland Centre, emphasized the potential for expanding linseed cultivation in Nagaland, highlighting that 20-30% of the rice fallow area in the state could be utilized for linseed cultivation. He noted the exceptional performance of linseed varieties such as LSL-93 and Priyam, alongside sesame varieties Amrit and Prachi. He also reported the promising results from sunflower varieties KBSH-74 and KBSH-78 in the region.
During the event, Yilobemo Erui, a farmer from New Wokha village recently recognized by Guinness World Records for cultivating the tallest coriander plant, was felicitated. In addition, various agricultural inputs, including electric pumps, sprayers, and threshing sheets, were distributed to 50 farmers from Chumukedima, Peren, Dimapur, and Niuland districts to support their farming activities.
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