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GREATER DEMAND FOR HEALTH FOODS

The sectors identified for expanding the level of processing on priority are food grains, fruits and vegetable and dairy. Current research portfolio must be upgraded a develop innovative products, processes and machinery of globally competitive standards. Greater emphasis is required for Human Resource Development in the area of biosciences and engineering to meet the requirement of the expanding agro-processing activities in the country. The Chief Guest Dr Rai further said, the need for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) using modern ICT tools in the formal educational process and non-formal lifelong learning of farmers are necessary to emphasize innovation and development of new technologies and building capability and competence of rural communities. Typical introduction of vocational courses in animal husbandry, dairy technology, fisheries, horticulture, vegetables and flowers cultivation, primary processing, loss-free storage and food preservation, sericulture, maintenance and custom hiring of farm machinery and seed and nursery propagation require priority attention.

Dr. Mangala Rai also emphasized that high-tech agriculture including precision agriculture and organic farming are seen to offer a vast potential to create productive, profitable and stable employment in agriculture. In order to create potential for income and employment among farm men and women, accent on widening the enterprise mix for supplementary and complementary job and income through non-formal education and vocational training in off-farm activities need to be stressed more and more than ever before. Dr. S. A. Patil, Director, IARI while presenting the report of the Institute highlighted that the new wheat varieties developed by the Institute combine high yield potential with disease resistance and quality. HD2888 (Pusa Wheat 107), has been released and notified for timely sown rainfed conditions for north eastern plains zone comprising the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam and parts of Uttar Pradesh. A variety of Triticum durum wheat HD4713 was identified for the release for the National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi. HD2894 has also been identified for release in NCR, Delhi under timely sown irrigated condition.

Drector, IARI further informed that the kabuli chickpea bold seeded variety BG 1108 has been released for NCR, Delhi. This variety is not only highly productive, but also offers resistance against soil-borne diseases. Another Kabuli bold seeded variety BGD 128 (Pusa Shubhra) has been released for Central India comprising the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Gujarat, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The Institute has been undertaking intensive experiments on various crops with respect to seed production technologies, development of DUS testing protocols and analysis of seed longevity and quality. Other food crops which have given promising result technologies are hybrid grapes, plantlets raised through embryo raised techniques, semi-dwarf apple root stock, two apple hybrids, walnut clone, guava root stock genotype and some of the underutilized fruit crops including ber, aonla. Rose hybrid and marigold hybrids/promising lines tuberose and gerbera have been identified.