Advanced Training in Plant Breeding & Research (ATPBR), together with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), organized the Global Okra Round Table (GORT) at AP Sinde Auditorium, NASC Complex.
The GORT ‘22 was aimed to bring together all okra crop improvement scientists and other stakeholders together at the very campus where the okra virus resistance breeding started with the release of the variety Pusa Sawani by the Late Dr. H. B. Singh.
ICAR is known to have introduced the path-breaking virus-resistant okra varieties bred at institutes like the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore and IARI, New Delhi, Agricultural Universities like Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. This time, the GORT conference included a field day at the IARI campus.
Dr. Surendar Tikku Independent Director, ATBPR, graced the GORT Inaugural session with his presence at JP Pal Auditorium, Pusa Campus, New Delhi.
On this occasion, Dr. Aparna Tiwari, Co-Founder, and CEO of ATPBR said, “Okra isn't the origin of India, but we are doing very well globally. Africa, the USA, and some counties in Europe have a good market for okra and the climate is also very suitable for its cultivation, but India is importing to these continents. India has a very high potential to become a leading importer of okra and beat the rest of the world. People and the market can also bear it as it's not expensive.”
He further added, “The purpose of this conference was to mobilize the momentum across the globe that we are the one who has every suitable condition from the geological to production and technology to grow any crop. Here, we are not just doing conventional farming but with updated technology as well using different types of breeding tools to produce the best crop in the market in less time. One of its types is Speed Breading, where through continuous light, we try to speed up the whole breeding process. It's a new technology, a lot of investment is done in this and we are the first and only one to use the updated technology in Okra. India has the best combination in terms of policymakers, executors, farmers, students, scientists, and breeders who are working only on one crop. Either on production, marketing, value chain, or processing people are working in it. Instead of duplication here we can collaborate and make proper synchronization of the research and service which can be beneficial for both.”
The conference was aimed to be developed into a biennial conference so that Okra stakeholders can meet & take the crop forward.
