A meeting was held at the ICAR–National Research Centre on Litchi (NRCL), Mushahari, Muzaffarpur, under the chairmanship of Dr. M.L. Jat, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Secretary, DARE. The meeting aimed to outline the institute's future direction, focusing on innovation and a farmer-centric approach to litchi research.
During the meeting, Dr. Jat highlighted the urgent need for focused research on enhancing the shelf life (storage capacity) of litchi. He urged scientists to adopt a collaborative, interdisciplinary model by involving experts from horticulture, biotechnology, and food science.
He further emphasized the importance of assigning team-based targets to researchers, ensuring timely and impactful outcomes. Dr. Jat also called for the commercialization of NRCL’s technologies and stressed the need to promote a circular economy through litchi cultivation. Additionally, he underscored the importance of speedy dissemination of farmer-beneficial technologies.
On this occasion, NRCL Director Dr. Bikash Das raised the need for additional land to expand research activities. Responding positively, the Director General assured that the required land would be arranged in coordination with the state government.
Prominent progressive litchi farmers, including Janaki Raman Prasad Singh, Mukteshwar Prasad Singh, Radheshyam Tiwari, and Prabhakar Singh, also participated in the meeting. Farmer leader Janaki Raman Prasad Singh requested that the institute’s litchi harvesting and sorting facility be made available on rent. He also proposed the implementation of a suitable crop insurance scheme for litchi growers.
Dr. Jat assured that appropriate initiatives would be taken on both demands. Farmers also sought government support for promoting an integrated litchi-based farming system, to which the Director General responded positively.
Following the meeting, Dr. Jat visited various research and processing units of the institute, offering valuable suggestions for their technical enhancement.
Senior scientists and staff members present during the visit included Dr. Abhay Kumar, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Dr. Bhagya Vijayan, Dr. Ipsita Samal, E. Ankit Kumar, Dr. Ashok Dhakad, Upgya Sah, Finance and Accounts Officer Kush Baghla, Dilip Kumar, and Project Assistant Shyam Pandit.
(Written by Ramji Kumar, FTJ Bihar)
