KULGAM: Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production, Shailendra Kumar, today visited the Mountain Research Centre for Field Crops (MRCFC), Khudwani, SKUAST-Kashmir, and participated in a live exhibition showcasing temperate rice biodiversity.
During his visit, he toured the research trials and was briefed on the centre’s ongoing research and seed production programs. He was informed about MRCFC’s significant contributions over the past eight decades in rice and other field crops, with a special focus on its meticulous germplasm conservation program.
The Principal Secretary was accompanied by Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganie; Deputy Commissioner Kulgam, Athar Aamir; Director Agriculture Kashmir; Directors of Research and Planning; ADC Kulgam; Chief Agriculture Officers; scientists from MRCFC Khudwani; Programme Coordinators of South Kashmir KVKs; and officers from various line departments.
Interacting with the officers, Shailendra Kumar emphasized the importance of demand-driven, development-oriented research to bridge the gap between food grain demand and supply in J&K. He also highlighted the need to scale up oilseed production to achieve the target of expanding cultivation to 3 lakh hectares.
He called for the popularization of advanced, proven technologies among farmers through frontline demonstrations and assured support for strengthening the centre’s research, development, and educational initiatives through adequate funding.
Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganie lauded MRCFC Khudwani for serving as a model institution and gaining recognition at national and international platforms. Highlighting the critical issue of rice blast disease, he noted that the centre serves as India’s Nodal Centre for Rice Blast Screening, underlining its national significance in crop protection research.
Dr. Najeeb ul Rehman Sofi, Head of MRCFC Khudwani, presented a detailed progress report, showcasing the centre’s journey and achievements since its establishment in 1942. He also highlighted its key role in developing rice, rapeseed, and wheat varieties that have significantly improved productivity, quality, and cultivation area, and briefed the Principal Secretary on the centre’s evolution into a premier research facility over more than eight decades of dedicated service to agricultural science.
