SHILLONG, Jan 11: As part of the programme to commemorate the 48th Foundation Day of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), infrastructural facilities were inaugurated on Tuesday, which include a poultry seed grower-cum-layer house under the ICAR poultry seed project worth Rs 1.47 crore. With the capacity of 5,000 grower and layer birds, this facility is expected to help upscale quality poultry seed production in the Northeastern region, a statement issued here said.
Apart from this, a pig shed was also inaugurated which was built from the institute budget at the cost of Rs 86 lakh.
The pig shed has farrowing facility with a capacity of 16 numbers of sows with their piglets.
The two facilities were virtually inaugurated by Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education, New Delhi.
A series of events were held on Tuesday abiding by COVID-19 protocols to commemorate the 48th Foundation Day of the institute.
After inauguration of the facilities, Dr Mohapatra, in his address, urged the scientific community to further develop agriculture in the Northeastern region and address rural poverty.
On the day, staffs of the institute were felicitated for their commendable contribution towards the institute.
Moreover, innovative farmers were also awarded for their contribution in the field of agriculture from the region which included Vanlalghaka Pachau from Mizoram, Dilli Maya Bhattarai from Sikkim and Plenty Makri of Meghalaya was awarded the best farmers award for her contribution in rain water harvesting system with integrated farming system model.
Addressing the gathering, Director of ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Dr VK Mishra, said that the existence of the research institute and with its six regional centres has made a deep impact in the field of agriculture of the region, even as he added that there is immense scope of improvisation in the agricultural sector in the coming years with the implementation of modern technologies.