The Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR) Tuesday convened its 60th Annual Rice Group meeting-cum diamond jubilee celebrations, from April 26 to 28. The event was inaugurated by Dr M L Jat, Director General of ICAR and Secretary DARE.
The event was attended by other notable figures, including Dr RS Paroda, former Director General of ICAR, Dr DK Yadava, Deputy Director General (Crop Science), Dr RM Sundaram, Director-ICAR-IIRR, Dr. A.K. Singh, Emeritus Scientist-ICAR and Former Director ICAR-IARI and prominent rice scientists across India. The meeting conducted rigorous brainstorming sessions and thorough discussions, reviewing a decade of research accomplishments and charting the way forward. Central themes included securing rice production, improving nutritional security, enhancing soil health, and fostering climate-resilient rice production systems. These deliberations highlighted ICAR-IIRR’s dedication to tackling critical agricultural challenges through innovative research and sustainable practices.
A significant moment of the event was the recognition of exemplary contributions by the Mountain Research Centre for Field Crops (MRCFC), Khudwani, SKUAST-K. The Centre received two prestigious awards—’Best Centre for Outstanding Contributions in Rice Research under the All-India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) – Rice, Best AICRP Centre (Soil Science)’. These honours were conferred upon the centre for its remarkable research achievements over the past five years, encompassing the development of high-yielding rice varieties, high-impact publications, innovative technologies, and numerous accolades. A key factor contributing to these honours was the Centre’s robust seed production program, which has been instrumental in ensuring the widespread adoption of high-yielding rice varieties across the rice-growing ecologies of Kashmir, significantly enhancing productivity and supporting farmer livelihoods.
The centre’s research portfolio features an exceptional varietal development program, creation of a national level nodal facility for rice blast/cold tolerance screening and projects in areas such as direct- seeded rice, weed management, biochar research, natural farming, nano-fertilisers, residue management and biopesticides. These efforts underscore the Centre’s commitment to promoting sustainable and resilient rice production systems in hill ecologies of the country.
