NEW DELHI, Aug 18: Aiming at transforming agriculture & allied sectors in Arunachal Pradesh, Agriculture Minister Gabriel D Wangsu has urged the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to provide the State with stronger scientific and institutional support.
In this direction, the Minister today placed three key priorities of the State before the 97th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the ICAR at Pusa, New Delhi.
The meeting was attended by Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and president ICAR Society, Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Bhagirath Chaudhary; Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Prof S P Singh Baghel; Agri and allied Ministers from various States; Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, ICAR; members of the ICAR Society; eminent scientists, researchers and agricultural experts.
Representing the farming and horticultural communities of Arunachal Pradesh, Wangsu emphasized the need for mountain-specific solutions. His first priority was stronger ICAR support for developing a comprehensive Agriculture Policy and Roadmap for Arunachal Pradesh.
Referring to the recent visit of Chouhan to Arunachal, he recalled the emphasis placed on preparing a comprehensive Agriculture Roadmap for the State. The responsibility has subsequently been entrusted to Director, ICAR Research Complex for the NEH Region. Wangsu requested that the exercise be expedited and made practical, time-bound and outcome-oriented.
His second priority was the establishment of an ICAR Central Kiwi Research Institute (CKRI) in Arunachal Pradesh. Reiterating the proposal placed before the ICAR AGM, Wangsu highlighted the State’s leading position in kiwi production, contributing nearly 60 percent of the country’s production. He noted that kiwi has emerged as an important high-value horticultural enterprise, particularly in the temperate regions of the State.
The Minister further sought sanction of 10 additional Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) for districts that presently remain uncovered. He emphasized that, given Arunachal’s vast geographical spread, difficult terrain and dispersed farming communities, agricultural research and technologies must reach farmers at the last mile. The State currently has 17 KVKs, while proposals have already been submitted to ICAR-ATARI, Guwahati for 10 new KVKs in the State.
Further, Wangsu underlined that Arunachal Pradesh views ICAR as a strategic knowledge partner in its efforts to build a sustainable, climate-resilient, technology-driven and farmer-centric agricultural economy.