ICAR-RCER, Patna Celebrates Its Silver Jubilee Foundation Day
25 February 2025, Patna: The ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, celebrated its Silver Jubilee Foundation Day events from 20-22 February 2025 on the theme ‘Progressive Agriculture—Viksit Bharat: Preparedness for Eastern India (PAVER 2025)’.
The Chief Guest of the National Seminar, Padma Bhushan, Dr R.S. Paroda, Chairman, TAAS & Former Secretary, (DARE), and Director General, ICAR, emphasized the need to work in eco-specific regions using an interdisciplinary approach to drive the Second Green Revolution in India. He urged a paradigm shift from a crop/commodity-based research system to a holistic farming system approach, ensuring sustainability and resilience in agriculture. He commended the efforts of the institute in this direction. Highlighting a critical challenge, keeping young people engaged in agriculture, Dr Paroda stressed the importance of vocational training and skill development to attract and retain young people in the sector. He also inaugurated women-centric micro- and nano-homestead-faring models established by the Institute.
Chief Guest of the inaugural session of Kisan Mela-cum-Foundation Day, Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (DARE) and Director General (ICAR), highlighted the vast agricultural potential of eastern India and stressed the urgent need for accelerated progress. Dr Pathak urged stakeholders to focus on the adoption of climate-resilient and bio-fortified crop varieties as well as eco-friendly practices. He also emphasized the importance of reaching out to the farmers and stronger links between farmers and scientific advancements.
The Guest of Honor of the National Seminar, Dr B. Rajender, IAS, ACS, Govt of Bihar, highlighted the importance of farmer exposure to diverse climate-resilient agricultural practices. Dr Rajender stressed the need for strong collaboration between policymakers and scientists to develop sustainable solutions in agriculture and expressed the importance of technology information in the Hindi language.
Chief Guest for the Valedictory function, Dr Sanjay Kumar, Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, emphasized the transformative role of mechanization and innovative engineering in shaping the future of agriculture. He also highlighted the potential of blockchain technology to revolutionize the sector and called for stronger value addition, processing, storage, and advanced packaging solutions. Dr Kumar proposed the establishment of Kisan Malls, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming farmers into entrepreneurs and boosting their income opportunities. He delivered the Foundation Day lecture on “Innovative Ventures: crafting start-ups and Strengthening value chains”. He also visited the research farms of the institute & appreciated the institute’s work on integrated farming systems and climate-resilient technologies & urged for their wider dissemination.
Chief Guest of Kisan Mela, Dr Sanjeev Chourasia, MLA, Digha, congratulated the staff and employees of ICAR-RCER on completing 25 years of excellence. He emphasized that farmers are also scientists in their own right, capable of innovating technologies based on their experiences. Stressing the importance of organic farming, nutrient management, and soil health, he urged farmers to adopt sustainable practices. He highlighted concerns arising from climate change and lauded the institute’s efforts in modern digital tools and practices like artificial intelligence & machine learning, drone technologies, and farmer-centric schemes such as PRAYAS and the Greening Rice fallow area initiatives.
Dr Saravana Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary, Govt of Bihar, emphasized that agriculture is the riskiest profession globally, and its challenges have been further intensified by the impacts of climate change. He stressed the need for strong collaboration between policymakers and scientists to develop sustainable solutions that can enhance agricultural resilience, ensure food security, and support farmers in adapting to the changing climate.
Dr Inderjeet Singh, Vice-Chanellor, Bihar Animal Sciences University, emphasized the importance of translating experiences and research outputs into field innovations.
Dr Anup Das, Director, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, emphasized its vital role in advancing agricultural research, technological innovation, and sustainable farming practices in Eastern India. He highlighted several significant contributions, including 30 IFS & land use models, technological options for greening rice fallow areas and sustainable intensification of rice-wheat systems, 12 climate-resilient rice varieties, one chickpea variety, 63 high-yielding, nutrient-rich vegetable varieties, and six fruit varieties. He also spoke about the institute’s pioneering initiatives like the FPO-based technology delivery models, the characterization and registration of indigenous livestock breeds, and advancements in the fisheries sector. Dr Das further emphasized ICAR-RCER’s groundbreaking innovations, such as multiple-use water models, agrivoltaic systems, and futuristic farm models, all aligned with national goals for agricultural development towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
In recognition of their outstanding contributions, many progressive farmers, media personnel, and employees of the institute were felicitated. The event witnessed the presence of over 2000 farmers and other stakeholders. 50 stalls on various aspects of farming & entrepreneurship development were showcased during these events.
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