In a move to make public the potentialities of Rabi maize cropping system in Manipur and awareness of improved technologies for its popularization, a two day training programme on ‘Maize based cropping system for improving livelihood and nutritional security of small and marginal farmers’ comes to an end at Indian council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Monsangpantha, Chandel district headquarters, 70 km south of Imphal in Manipur on Friday.
The training programme was organized by ICAR for North Eastern Hill Region, Manipur Centre and KVK, Chandel in collaboration with ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana.
Experts of the ICAR including its Joint Director Dr I Meghachandra Singh of ICAR Research Complex for NEH region, Scientist Dr M A Ansari of ICAR Manipur Centre and PI of NEH maize programme, Dr K l Levis Chongloi, Dr N Johnson Singh, Boumit and Prabeena Devi made technical inputs and presentations apart from sharing their findings and observation on maize cultivation package and practices, significance of maize in feed for livestock and poultry, soil management for high production, insect and disease management etc during the technical session of the training sessions.
The critical inputs like maize seed (High Quality Protein Maize or HQPM-1) and biofertilizers were also distributed along with other seeds for intercropping with maize like Garden pea (Arkel), Frenchbean, Rapeseed and mustard (M-27) to all the farmers during the sessions.
Farmers from Lambung, Lamphoupasna, Panchai, Riverline, Chandanpokpi, Ziontlang numbering around 110 participated in the training programme.
It may be recalled that the Deputy Commissioner Krishna Kumar of Chandel district, Joint Director Dr I Meghachandra of ICAR Research Complex for NEH region, Manipur centre, Imphal, Senior Scientist and head, KVK, Chandel Dr Deepak Singh and Scientist Dr MA Ansari inaugurated the training on October 18.
During the occasion, the DC Krishna Kumar led dignitaries stressed upon the need to undertake concerted efforts to increase the cropping intensity in the State by inclusion of suitable varieties under suitable farming systems.
They also highlighted the importance of maize as essential feed ingredient for poultry, piggery and fisheries in addition to the normal human consumption and as a sustainable crop in the upland hills of Manipur.
It may be worth mentioning that Manipur imports feed from other states for livestock and fishery.
They have also highlighted the importance of conservation of water resources and tapping the irrigation potential so that cropping system intensify with more than two crops in a year.