The 41st annual group meeting of the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Vegetable Crops began at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir Shalimar campus here on Saturday.
About 300 delegates, including ADG, Horticulture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi; Director, Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR); vice chancellors of agriculture universities, directors and heads of various institutions and vegetable scientists from across the country are participating in the three-day annual meet hosted by SKUAST-K’s Division of Vegetable Sciences to discuss latest technologies, cutting-edge research and innovation in vegetable cultivation.
The objective of AICRP Vegetable Crops is to enhance the productivity, quality, and sustainability of vegetable production in India. It provides a national grid for multi-locational testing of vegetable technologies developed by various research institutes and state agricultural universities.
Moreover, AICRP focuses on promoting sustainable farming practices, minimizing chemical inputs, and conserving natural resources, thus supporting environmental sustainability.
Presently, the AICRP is running at 36 regular and 24 voluntary centres. SKUAST-K is a regular sub-centre of AICRP for the Humid Western Himalayan Region.
Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, while welcoming the delegates of the country’s top agricultural universities and institutions, thanked ICAR-AICRP for holding the annual group meeting for the first time in Kashmir. He said vegetable cultivation plays an important role in both the food security of people and the livelihood security of the farmers.
Prof Ganai said that vegetable cultivation with the aid of the latest technology and knowledge has huge potential for job creation and wealth creation here as J&K presents a unique climatic setting and crop diversity. Kashmir is offseason for the rest of the country, and many of the crops we produce here are high-value niche crops, which remain in high demand, he said.
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