A National Farmers’ Fair Cum Vegetable Show-Casing was organized at Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi in collaboration with Association for Promotion of Innovation in Vegetable (APIV) to educate the farmers regarding sustainable vegetable and agriculture production.
It was inaugurated by Padmashri Dr. Brahma Singh, Ex-Director, Life Sciences, Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), New Delhi. In his inaugural address, he emphasized for climate resilient vegetable production, protected cultivation through poly and net houses as well as use of drip and fertigation for sustainable vegetable production in the country.
During celebrations, the Director, IIVR, Varanasi highlighted the production and distribution of high quality seeds of improved vegetable varieties of IIVR. He also added that famers should adopt drip irrigation, mulching, fertigation, integrated pest management and value addition in vegetables to fulfil the vegetable requirement of our growing population. He also emphasized women empowerment and farmer’s participation in hybrid seed production. He also included that under the flagship programme of the Prime Minister of India, “Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav”, IIVR has adopted five villages from each district of Chandauli, Gazipur, Jaunpur, Mau, Mirzapur and Varanasi districts for disseminating innovative vegetable production technologies for their livelihood and nutritional security.
Dr.R.K.Yadav, Director, National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF), New Delhi; Dr. S.K.Singh, Deputy Managing Director, National Horticultural Board (NHB); Dr. T. Janakiram, Assistant Director General (Horticultural Science-II), ICAR, New Delhi and Prof. A. Vaishampayan, Director, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Agricultural University (BHU), Varanasi were also present on the occasion. They emphasized about protected cultivation and increasing the income of famers besides increasing productivity of vegetables by adopting sustainable new technologies in the field of vegetable production, protection, processing, preservation and storage of vegetables.
Farmers’ president Shri Jai Prakash Singh expressed his happiness for farmer’s welfare and women empowerment mainly due to intervention of IIVR varieties and improved vegetable production technologies.
More than 3000 farmers participated from different states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand etc. They were acquainted with modern technologies of vegetables, fruits, cereals, oilseed and mushroom production, poultry and fish culture through lecture by experts and exhibition as technical sessions were also arranged for the benefit of the farming community.
Altogether 39 stalls related to vegetable, potato, seeds, fertilizer, beneficial microbes, fisheries, onion garlic, pesticides, drop irrigation etc. displayed by various ICAR Institutes and KVKs, Agricultural Universities and Private Sectors.
The prizes were also distributed to famers for their contribution in vegetable production. In national level category, Mr. Ashok Kumar Chandrakar from Chhattisgarh, Ms. Hema Anantaraj from Karnataka and Mr. Mahadev Prasad Yadav from Rajasthan were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively. At state level Mr. Basudev Maurya from Mirzapur district awarded gold medal, Mr. Sugrib Singh Kushwaha from district Gazipur received silver medal and Mr. Phool Chand from district Varanasi awarded bronze medal. The function was ended with vote of thanks by Dr. A.B.Rai.