By Santanu Mukherjee
Pusa, Samastipur, India – On 14th February 2023, the Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research (IIWBR), Karnal and Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) organized a One Day Awareness Program on the Promotion and Popularization of latest Wheat Varieties through Public-Private Partnership for accelerated gain.
The program was held at BISA in Pusa, Samastipur and was attended by a number of dignitaries, including Dr. Gyanendra Singh, Director , IIWBR, Karnal, Dr. KK Singh, Head, IARI-RS, Pusa, and Dr. AK Sharma, PS& Nodal Officer (Seeds), IIWBR, Karnal, Dr. D.K Roy, Chief Scientist- Agronomy , RPCAU, Dr. Raj Kumar Jat, Senior Scientist and Incharge, BISA, Pusa, officials from NSC, Dr. Rajesh Reddy, Dr. Arpit Gaur, Dr. Avinash, farmers and BISA staff.
The purpose of the program was to introduce farmers in Bihar to the latest climate-resilient and short-duration wheat varieties.
Wheat verities like DBW 316 and DBW 826 ,and Barley DWRD 137 was introduced for the farmers of Bihar during the program.
Dr. Gyanendra Singh, Director of IIWBR during the program said we have been continuously working to provide high quality seeds to the farmers. We are closely working with BISA, RPCAU and other partners here to make the quality seeds available to the farmers in Bihar. We also encourage farmers to participate in the seed production.
The Director of IIWBR visited the BISA research farm in Pusa and witnessed the latest developments in the field of climate-resilient agriculture, interacted with key researchers, and explored potential collaborations with the Institute.
During the program, Dr. AK Sharma shared information about the IIWBR Varieties, licensing, and Entrepreneurship Development in the Seed Sector, while the Regional Manager of NSC, Patna, shared the promotion and popularization of the latest wheat varieties by the public sector.
Dr. Raj Kumar Jat, Senior Scientist and In charge of BISA, Pusa, spoke on the occasion and highlighted the important role of quality seed in improving farmers’ income. He said, ” Quality seed of new wheat varieties can increase 20-30% yield over old varieties. The Borlaug Institute for South Asia has always emphasized on timely sowing and the importance of quality seed in improving farmers’ income. This collaboration with IIWBR will help in making more quality seeds available to the farmers in Bihar.”
The program was a success in creating awareness about the importance of quality seeds in improving farmers’ income and promoting the latest wheat varieties through public-private partnerships. The Borlaug Institute for South Asia is committed to continuously improving the quality of seed available to the farming community in the state of Bihar.