Millet Threshers Demonstration & Distribution Programme of ICAR-VPKAS, Almora at KVK, Tawang

A Millet Threshers Demonstration & Distribution Programme and Farmer-Scientist Interaction was organized by Almora (Uttarakhand)-based ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan at KVK, Tawang in district Tawang in collaboration with KVK, Tawang, under NEH Programme of Indian Council of Agricultura Research (ICAR) to mark the International Year of Millets 2023.

The programme was attended by 20 farmers of villages Bleting, Buri, Gipsu, Kharteng, Kitpi, Lumtsang, Namet, Shakti and Shernup Sh K Darang, Deputy Commissioner, Tawang was the chief guest of the programme. At the outset, Mr CK Singh, SMS Agronomy, KVK Tawang welcomed the guests and the farmers, Dr. Lakshmi Kant, Director, ICAR-VPKAS briefed about the initiatives taken by ICAR-VPKAS for promotion of finger millet in the district, specifically mentioning the successful adoption of early maturing and high yielding finger millet variety VL Mandua 376 in the district and the efforts being made to extend it further through farmer participatory seed production. Further, highlighting the drawbacks of the traditional methods of millet threshing, he explained the advantages of VL Millet Thresher-cum-Pearler in terms of saving time and labour, and reducing drudgery. He requested Sh Darang to include the millet thresher in state government’s subsidy schemes to help the thresher reach a larger number of farmers in the district. He also briefed about the steps taken to facilitate organic certification to enable farmers to obtain higher for their finger millet produce.

Addressing the gathering, DC Tawang, Sh K Darang appreciated the initiatives taken by ICAR-VPKAS Almora in collaboration with KVK Tawang and assured all possible help from the district administration. He urged the farmers to adopt new crop varieties and agricultural technologies for reducing production cost and increasing income from agriculture. District Agriculture Officer Sh T Bam offered to extend help from the department in making new agricultural technologies accessible to the farmers and in addressing their agriculture related problems.

The functioning of VL Millet Thresher-cum-Pearler was demonstrated to the farmers and, thereafter, 13 threshers were distributed by DC Sh K Darang and Dr Lakshmi Kant to the farmers for community use. Dr Lakshmi Kant thanked Sh CK Singh for the important role played by him in dissemination of the improved technologies.

The programme was attended by ICAR-VPKAS scientists Dr NK Hedau, Dr RK Khulbe, Dr DC Joshi and Dr Hitesh Bijarniya; SDO Sh KB Kayasth and scientists of KVK Tawang.