A group of senior scientists and extension personnel from Assam Agricultural University (AAU) visited IRRI-SARC in Varanasi from May 11 to 13, 2023 to enhance learning opportunities and strengthen existing linkages related to interventions of the ongoing Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) in Assam.
The AAU delegation engaged with ISARC scientists on the latest trends in precision agriculture, mechanization, GIS, postharvest management, and seed systems. The team from AAU included HoDs of various departments, senior scientists, principal scientists, and heads of Krishi Vigyan Kendras of Assam.
During the interaction, Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director of ISARC, emphasized the need for crop intensification of rice fallows in Assam to increase cropping intensity. He stated that IRRI would soon work on a policy paper on crop intensification and rice-fallow to harness the rice-fallow areas in Assam.
In addition to this, the AAU team visited and interacted with the Director and senior scientists of the Institute of Agricultural Science (IAgSc) at Banaras Hindu University to gain insights into the potential of Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) in Assam in the near future.
It is worth mentioning that since 2018, AAU and the Department of Agriculture, Government of Assam, with the technical support of IRRI, have implemented various activities in the paddy value chain to increase the productivity and profitability of small and marginal farmers in Assam. Under APART, IRRI is mandated to build the capacity of stakeholders through different capacity-building programs.
Dr. Kalyan Pathak, Head of the Department of Agronomy at AAU, shared his experience of the visit, stating that they had the opportunity to observe various technologies being implemented in rice science during the three-day exposure visit to ISARC.
He appreciated and welcomed opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing through ISARC. The exposure visit was truly a learning experience for the AAU team, who visited state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities such as the Speed Breed Centre, Mechanization Hub, Natural Fertilizer Unit, Computational Biology Facility, Geo-spatial Information Lab, and others.
