Agricultural Technology Meet – 2016

Technology Week Celebrations of ATMA is being conducted jointly by Agricultural Technology Management Agency, Thiruvanathapuram and ICAR-CTCRI at Sreekariyam during December 19-21, 2016. The programme was inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister Shri Kadakampally Surendran, Devaswom, Tourism and Co- Operation, Government of Kerala today. In his address, he remarked that agriculture in the state is undergoing a revival phase in recent times, which is evident from the feedbacks received from farmers. The presidential address was delivered by Dr. James George, Director, ICAR-CTCRI. The councilor Shri Alathara Anil Kumar and ATMA coordinator Mrs. Mini K Rajan also spoke at the occasion.

TUBER CROPS DAY 2016

“Reinventing tuber crops consumption forms to match emerging needs of fast growing youth population is the need of the hour” is the message delivered by Dr. G. Gopakumar, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Kerala, Kasargode at the Tuber Crops Day Celebrations organised by Indian Society for Root Crops (ISRC) at ICAR- Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CTCRI).Dr. James George, Director, ICAR-CTCRI, in his presidential address informed that the Institute has contributed significantly for the tuber crops development in the state and has developed 53 improved tuber crops varieties in the last 53 years. Besides, he indicated that a wide spectrum of tuber crops technologies are developed at CTCRI for diversified stakeholders– from high starch varieties for farmers to viable healthy food products like gluten-free pasta for small-scale entrepreneurs.Shri. Alathara Anil, Councillor,Thiruvananthapuram Corporation appreciated the Institute for its research work on tuber crops for the past few decades.

National Conference on Tropical Tuber Crops for the Sustenance and Welfare of Tribal Communities(NCTTC-2016)

In collaboration with ICAR-CTCRI, Indian Society for Root Crops (ISRC) organized a National Conference on Tropical Tuber Crops for the Sustenance and Welfare of Tribal Communities(NCTTC-2016) at ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram during 20-22 October 2016. Root and tuber crops, which are the cheap and rich sources of energy, has been integrated with the food habits of the tribal population in India since time immemorial. Although there is wide geographical diversity in the tuber crops of India, their occurrence and spread mostly depend on the localized climate and growth environment. This National Conference was intended to bring together the research efforts on tuber crops which would permit an appraisal and selection of the best technologies for the tribal welfare programmes in India.

Visit of Sri. Radha Mohan Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram on September 29, 2016

Sri. Radha Mohan Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare visited ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 29 September 2016. The hon’ble minister reached the campus in the afternoon and laid the foundation stone of the newly proposed Farmers Facilitation Centre. The Farmers Facilitation Centre is intended to be a single window where all the needs of the farmers who visit the Institute will be met. The minister released Annual Report 2015-16 (Hindi) and a Technical Folder on Techniques for Organic Production of Tropical Tuber Crops on this occasion.

CTCRI Vision 2050 provides an oppurtunity to evaluate the relevance of tropical tuber crops in food security by introspecting the accomplishment and visualizing the challenges this sector may face in future. It also critically examines possible scenario of operating environment.