Indian Council of Agricultural Research–National Institute of Biotic Stress Management (ICAR-NIBSM), Raipur, distributed 100 storage bins to Scheduled Caste farmers and women farmers of Beltukari village under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP), with the objective of promoting safe and scientific storage of agricultural produce and reducing post-harvest losses.

Addressing the farmers, Director of ICAR-NIBSM Dr P. K. Rai said that increasing agricultural production must be complemented by proper and scientific storage of farm produce. Adoption of scientific storage practices helps protect produce from moisture, pest infestation and other storage-related losses, thereby preserving its quality and quantity for longer periods.

Dr Rai said scientific storage not only helps reduce post-harvest losses but also enables farmers to secure better economic returns from their produce. He added that the institute has been making continuous efforts to take scientific technologies and relevant agricultural knowledge to the village level in accordance with the local needs of farmers.

On the occasion, Dr Pankaj Sharma, Joint Director and Coordinator of the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan, interacted with farmers and provided information on key agronomic practices to be followed after transplanting paddy. He stressed the importance of timely weed management, balanced nutrient application, proper water management and regular monitoring of crops.

Dr Sharma also briefed the farmers on the identification and effective management of major pests likely to affect paddy crops in the coming period. He urged farmers to regularly monitor their crops and adopt appropriate management measures at the initial stage of pest infestation based on scientific advice.

He said the institute, through the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan, is providing scientific knowledge, agricultural equipment and machinery, training and information on modern farming technologies to promote the social and economic empowerment of farmers. These initiatives are aimed at strengthening farmers’ technical capabilities, improving the efficiency of agricultural operations and providing necessary support for enhancing farm income.

The beneficiary farmers and women farmers expressed their gratitude to the institute for providing storage bins and scientific agricultural guidance. They said the storage facilities would help protect their farm produce and significantly reduce losses during storage. The programme was coordinated by Dr K. C. Sharma, Principal Scientist, ICAR-NIBSM.

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SK/BKT

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