New Delhi, Delhi, 3rd of September, 2024 : A stakeholders’ consultation meeting was convened today at Krishi Bhawan under the theme “Transforming Agriculture Research – Enhancing Role of Private Sector”. The consultation was chaired by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, and moderated by Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), and Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The session was conducted in a hybrid format, with over 1,000 stakeholders participating from across the country, including representatives from ICAR Institutes, Central and State Agricultural Universities, KVKs, private sector organizations, various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, senior officers from State Agriculture Departments, FPOs, progressive farmers, and other stakeholders.
The consultation began with the inaugural session where moderators, Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi and Dr. Himanshu Pathak, provided an overview of the meeting and outlined the key areas of action. This was followed by opening remarks by Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, who highlighted the tremendous potential of current Indian agricultural landscape and shifting focus towards income-generating opportunities for small and marginal farmers.
The keynote address featured progressive insights from distinguished speakers, including Dr. S. Ayyappan, Former Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR; Dr. Ashok Dalwai, Former CEO, National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Prof. Sudhir K. Sopory, Former Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU); and Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, and Former Secretary, DARE andDG, ICAR.
The session then transitioned into discussions around two key areas. The first focused on reviewing the agricultural research setup to raise productivity and resilience in agriculture. Dr. Praveen Rao, Former Vice Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Hyderabad; Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Government of Odisha; Dr. Ram Koundinya, DG, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII); Shri Prabhakar Rao, President, National Seed Association of India (NSAI), Hyderabad; and Shri Kanwal Singh Chauhan, Padma Shri Awardee and Progressive Farmer from Haryana, contributed valuable insights.
The second key area of discussion revolved around Public-Private Partnerships, including funding in ‘challenge mode’ to enhance agricultural research outcomes. Expert remarks by Dr. A.K. Singh, Former Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi; Dr. K.B. Kathiria, Vice Chancellor, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat; Dr. K. Keshavulu, Director of Telangana State Seed Organic Certification Authority (TSSOCA) and President of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA); Dr. Surinder Tikoo, Director, ATPBR, Hyderabad, Telangana; Dr. Rajvir Singh Rathi, Vice President, FSII; and Shri Manoj Bhai Purushottam Solanki, a farmer from Madhapar, Kutch, enriched the discussion with a diverse blend of perspectives.
The Stakeholder consultation helped in highlighting practical and ground level issues which will help in strengthening the Public Private Partnership and the future course of action on the two key areas of the discussion. A roadmap will be prepared based on the recommendations for making the new technologies available to the farmers. The recommendations of the session will be presented before Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Shri Sanjay Garg, Additional Secretary, DARE, expressing gratitude to all the participants for their valuable contributions and active engagement in the consultation.
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