In a major achievement in fostering the efforts of the Government of India for the development of the seaweed enterprise as another driver of the economy of Lakshadweep, the commercial-scale pilot seaweed farming guided by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin has turned out to be a huge success in the large-scale pre-feasibility studies during 2022-23 season. The endeavour of the TSC-Purple Turtle Company, Tuticorin, aided by the ICAR-CMFRI and the Lakshadweep Administration has the potential to boost the economy of the archipelago and provide a new source of income for the local community, especially women.   The seaweed farming enterprise was initially launched in Chetlath, one of the smaller islands in Lakshadweep with a population of nearly 2,500. Six plots of 100 tube nets each were established by the end of September 2022, with a seed stock size of 3 tons per plot. The first harvest yielded nearly 15 tons in 45 days. The entire harvest was...

Shri Sachin Jha, working for Krishi Darshan at Doordarshan, Ranchi, was a regular visitor to Farming Systems Research Centre for Hill and Plateau Region (FSRCHPR of ICAR-RCER), Ranchi, and developed a passion for farming. He was an immediate learner and perceived the prospects of pointed gourd (Parwal) farming in Jharkhand. The well-maintained blocks of Parwal at Farm-I of FSRCHPR, Ranchi were undoubtedly the trigger for his venture into Agri-entrepreneurship. Parwal is a highly remunerative crop due to its prolonged fruiting season from February to October. Demand is huge in the markets of North-eastern Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh.   Shri Jha took a lease of 25 acres of land at Anandi Village, Oromanjhi Block, Ranchi for farming in 2021. Experts from the Centre provided the necessary technology for establishment and maintenance of the mother block of the pointed gourd varieties developed by the Centre viz.,...

Shri Ranjit Kher, a Pune-based equine breeder established India's first private equine semen laboratory and become a reliable supplier of stallion frozen semen across the country.   He purchased two technologies developed by ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Bikaner “Semen Collection and Cryopreservation in Indigenous Horses” and “Customized AV for semen collection from Stallions” from Equine Production Campus, ICAR-NRCE in the year 2021. The technologies were developed by Dr. TR Talluri, Dr. Yash Pal and Dr RA Legha. Shri Kher and his team members received training in stallion semen collection as well as cryopreservation methods from the expert team of scientists at ICAR-NRCE.   With the scientific and technical inputs from ICAR – NRCE, he set up a state-of-art laboratory for semen collection and cryopreservation for the stallions at Pune, Maharasthra. Shri Kher’s team also collected semen of stallions from various equine breeders across the...

Manipur state is situated in the easternmost corner of India and about 41% of the state’s population is Scheduled Tribe.  Agriculture is the mainstay of the state's economy contributing 50-60% to the state GDP. Manipur has several water bodies in the form of lakes, wetlands, ponds, water-logged areas, rivers/streams, and reservoirs; however, only 32.94% of the total potential water areas are so far under fisheries development. More than 95% of the population of Manipur consumes fish. Despite the state having good fish production potential of its water resources but has to import fish from other states of India.   The Mapithel dam (also known as the Maphou dam), is located at Kamjong district of Manipur state in North-East India. The Government of Manipur’s Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFCD) undertook the project in 1980. The medium reservoir is the largest in the state with a water spread area of 1100 hectares. According to official figures, the dam...

In Mizoram, conversion of abandoned jhum areas into settled areca nut (Areca catechu L.; locally known as ‘Kauhva’) plantation have gained popularity and became the most common agricultural practice in Mizoram (particularly, at Kolasib and Mamit district). The average rise in net acreage under areca nut plantation increased by ~23.5% (per annum) over past two decades due to high internal market demand, limited post-harvest processingrequirement and huge export potential to the neighboring state of Assam. The less bio-degradable areca palm sheath are often used as fuel in Mizo household. The conversion of these left-over areca palm leaf sheath into usable products like plate has immense potential to ensure eco-friendly alternative to modern day plastics/polymer plates being used to serve foods in hotel/restaurants/festivals etc., facilitating agro-waste recycling and providing additional source of income to the resource poor tribal farmers of Mizoram. In order to utilize the readily...