By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 6: The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), Barapani Chapter, in collaboration with the ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam, hosted a brainstorming session titled ‘Positioning Northeast Agriculture Towards Amrit Kaal’ on Friday, bringing together leading agricultural scientists, researchers and policymakers to align the region’s agricultural growth with the visionary goals of Amrit Kaal.
According to a statement here, the session was chaired by NAAS vice president, Dr. KM Bujarbaruah, who, in his address, summarised key insights and future directions for Northeast agriculture.
He emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts in realising the goals of Amrit Kaal and highlighted the objective of leveraging the region’s biodiversity to build a bioeconomy.
The event featured a series of keynote lectures from distinguished experts in various fields of agriculture.
Dr. SK Barik, Professor at NEHU Shillong and former Director of CSIR NBRI, Lucknow, spoke on ‘Transforming Food Systems to Support Biodiversity’, emphasising sustainable practices for preserving biodiversity.
Dr. A. Pattanayak, former Director of ICAR IIAB, Ranchi, and ICAR VPKAS, Almora, presented a ‘Strategic Roadmap for Crop Sector Growth in Northeast India: Aligning with Amrit Kaal Goals’.
He highlighted the need for scientific research on flood-tolerant rice varieties and addressed the issue of crop productivity being hampered by the extensive growth of monkeys in Assam.
Dr. G. Kadirvel, Director of ICAR ATARI Zone VI, Guwahati, discussed ‘Agricultural Startups to Transform NE Agriculture to Meet Amrit Kaal Requirements’, focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship.
On the other hand, Dr. Anup Das, Director of ICAR RCER, Patna, spoke on ‘Exploring Organic & Natural Farming as Drivers of Green Economy’, underscoring the potential of organic farming in sustainable economic growth.
The final keynote lecture was delivered by Dr. SK Majhi, Head of ICAR CIFRI Regional Centre, Guwahati, on ‘Taking NE Fisheries towards Amrit Kaal’, exploring the opportunities and challenges in advancing the fisheries sector in Northeast India.