TAWANG, Sep 17: Kitpi EAC Tsering Chedon while appreciating the ICAR-VPKAS for their efforts in the direction of promoting millets in Tawang, requested the institute to extend help in organic certification and branding of Tawang’s finger millet.
The EAC was addressing a gathering of farmers and scientists after inaugurating a Farmers Fair and farmer-scientist interaction on “promotion of finger millet in Tawang through introduction of improved technologies” here on Friday.
The programme was organized by the ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS), Almora (Uttarakhand) in collaboration with KVK Tawang under the NEH Programme of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to mark the International Year of Millets-2023.
Earlier, Dr RK Khulbe, Principal Scientist, ICAR-VPKAS, Almora, while welcoming the farmers and guests, gave an overview of the initiatives undertaken by ICAR-VPKAS for promotion of millets in Tawang district and the future course of action towards developing Tawang into a regional millets hub.
Dr D C Joshi, Sr Scientist and Millets Breeder shared detailed information about the importance of millets in regional food and nutritional security, and the growing prominence of millets at global level. Highlighting the role of improved cultivars in crop productivity particularly VL Mandua 376 which is a highly yielding and early maturing variety, he explained how profitability from the crop can be increased manifold through proper processing, value addition and organized marketing.
Dr RP Meena, Millets Agronomist, highlighted the role of mechanization in reducing production cost and increasing profitability with special reference to VL Millets Thresher. During the interaction session, the scientists urged the state government officials to upscale the technological interventions introduced by ICAR-VPKAS to enable the benefits reach a wider section of the farmers.
CK Singh, SMS (Agronomy), KVK Tawang, who has been instrumental in the spread of VL Mandua 376 in the district, mentioned the earliness and high yield of VL Mandua 376 as the primary reasons for swift adoption of the variety, and emphasized on the need for more quality seed of the variety and millet threshers in district for further extension of the variety in the state.
A total of 64 farmers from Kitpi, Named and Shernup villages participated in the programme. Appreciation certificates were given to farmers for conducting good demonstrations and producing seed of VL Mandua 376.