Farm scientists resolve to adopt improved technologies

Panaji, Sep 18 (UNI) Farm scientists have resolved to adopt strategies to overcome the shortage of oilseed production by taking improved technologies from the 'lab to the land'.

They were participating in the two-day All India Rabi-Summer Groundnut Workshop, which concluded today at the ICAR complex at Old Goa. It was jontly organised by the All India Central Research Project on Groundnut, National Research Centre for groundnut (NRCG), Junagadh, and ICAR. More than 60 scientists including those from the ICRISAT, Ptancheru, Andhra Pradesh, participated in the workshop.

India was spending huge foreign exchange reserves through imports to tide over its 45 per cent deficit in oilseed production, according to Dr V D Patil, assistant director general, ICAR.

''It is the job of the agriculture department, not the researchers, to take the latest available technologies in oil seed production to the farmer to boost production,'' he told the workshop.

Emphasising the ''lab to land'' concept in farming, J H Kulkarni, vice-chancellor, University of Agriculture Sciences, Dharwad (Karnataka), in his inaugural address, pleaded for bringing awareness on the use of latest varieties and adoption of new technologies for improved oilseed production.

Lack of soil fertility was one of the reasons for the decline in oilseed production. More soil scientists should be deployed in the field to remedy the situation, he opined.

Dr M S Basu, Director, NRCG, favoured more research to refine the available varieties for higher yields.

Dr V S Korikantuimath, Director, ICAR research project, Old Goa, however, regretted the rapid decline in area of groundnut cultivation in the Konkan belt despite having a huge potential.

UNI