Dibrugarh: A distinguished team from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) visited Arunachal Pradesh’s Hunkan Village in Tirap district on Thursday.
The visiting team included Dr. Alok Kumar Srivastava, Director of ICAR-NBAIM (National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Micro-organisms), Mau, Uttar Pradesh; Dr. Sudhir Kumar, Head of ICAR-IIPR (Indian Institute of Pulses Research) Regional Station, Bikaner, Rajasthan; and Dr. Abhimanyu Chaturvedi, Horticulture Expert of KVK Tirap and IPR representative from DIPRO’s office, Khonsa Gawang Sumpa, UDC.
The scientists toured local farmers’ fields, including those cultivating foxtail millet, orange orchards, vegetables, and maize.
They recommended adopting new technologies to enhance production and productivity.
Dr. Srivastava emphasized the use of microbe-based formulations for sustainable production, soil fertility maintenance, ecological balance, and minimizing environmental challenges.
He also encouraged value addition in foxtail millet for better economic returns.
Dr. Sudhir Kumar advocated for pulse-based farming to naturally improve soil fertility, providing farmers with extra income without additional costs.
He recommended maintaining diverse local and underutilized pulse crops for future use.
Dr. Abhimanyu Chaturvedi shared scientific management practices for orange cultivation, including canopy management, fruit drop control, nutrient application timing and dosage, and weed management.
The visit was highly appreciated by the Hunkan community.
Chief Kamwang Lowang, GB Jangbom Nokbi, GPM Kaprang Nokbi, and senior public leader Tirang Sumnyan expressed their gratitude to the ICAR team for their insights and recommendations.
They acknowledged the valuable exchange of ideas and the potential benefits of adopting advanced agricultural practices for their traditional Jhum cultivation and other farming activities.
The Hunkan people are eager to implement these suggestions to enhance their agricultural productivity and sustainability.