The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will launch its ‘One Scientist-One Product’ programme on July 16 to improve research in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry.
It will also formally announce the release of 323 varieties of 56 crops, including cereals, oilseeds, forage crops, and sugarcane, at a function in Delhi on Tuesday as part of the 96th foundation day of the institution. These crops include 289 climate-resilient varieties and 27 bio-fortified varieties.
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The ‘one scientist, one product’ programme will be inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Five-year plan
Explaining the programme, ICAR Director-General Himanshu Pathak told reporters in Delhi on Monday that the ICAR had given a target to all 5,521 scientists under the institution to come up with a product, a technology, a model, a concept or a good publication. At the beginning of every year, the scientist or a group of scientists will have to identify the product, and the ICAR will map the scientist’s or the group’s work. “We will monitor it at the institute level every three months and at the headquarter level every six months. This is a long plan,” he said. The scheme will work for five years. “This year, we’re prioritising seed hubs for high-yielding oilseeds and pulses varieties,” he added.
A visitor at a stall displaying the technologies and products developed by ICAR, at Bharat Ratna Dr C. Subramanian Convention Centre, NASC Complex, Pusa, in New Delhi, on July 15, 2024 | Photo Credit: ANI
Dr. Pathak said the ICAR is also working to develop 100 new seed varieties and 100 farm technologies in 100 days as part of the Centre’s 100-day action plan. He said the ICAR will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s time to launch these programmes by mid-September.
Production boost
The ICAR said in a release that with the help of breeder seeds, about 16 million hectares (Mha) are under bio-fortified varieties of different crops, including wheat (13 Mha), rice (0.5 Mha), pearl millet (1.5 Mha), lentil (0.50 Mha) and mustard (1.0 Mha) during 2023-24. “Deployment of climate-resilient technologies led to enhanced production even during the abnormal years,” the ICAR said.
It said that from 2014-15 to 2023-24, a total of 2,593 high-yielding varieties were released. These include 2,177 climate-resilient (83% of total) varieties with biotic and abiotic stress resistance, and 150 bio-fortified crop varieties.
