Seeds of high-yielding, pest-resistant rice varieties given to Karnal farmers

The foundation fay and Kisan Vigyan Mela were organised at the Gurbachan Singh Foundation for Research, Education and Development (GSFRED), at its research centre. The event was organised to share agricultural technologies and innovations developed at GSFRED for the welfare of farmers. Seeds of high-yielding, climate-smart, pest-resistant, new varieties of rice Punjab-1509, Punjab-1692,PB-1847, Punjab-1718, Punjab-1885, Punjab-1401, Punjab-1886, Punjab-1979, Punjab 1985, CSR-30, PR- 114, PR-126, PR-131, DRR-58, were distributed to farmers.

The programme was inaugurated by Dr Gurdev Khush, World Food Prize laureate and fellow, Royal Society, London. Dr SK Malhotra, Vice-Chancellor, Maharana Pratap University of Horticulture and Technology, Karnal, presented the Foundation Day lecture. Dr ML Madan, Former DDG, ICAR and Dr RK Yadav, Director, CSSRI, participated as guests of honour. Dr Gurbachan Singh, founder chairman of the Foundation and former chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), Agriculture Commissioner, Government of India and Director, CSSRI, Karnal, shared activities and programmes of GSFRED initiated in 2018 for the welfare of farmers and skill and entrepreneurship development in unemployed youth and students. He talked about the integrated farming system model developed at GSFRED for doubling the income of small and marginal farmers and to make agriculture climate resilient.

Dr Khush said it was his third visit to the research institute where relevant practical work was being done for the welfare of the farmers and advancement of agricultural sciences. He further said Gurbachan Singh Foundation has become a central platform for exchange of agricultural innovations and technologies among the scientists of the region and its onward transfer to the farmers and other stakeholders in the country and abroad.

VC Dr SK Malhotra emphasised a need for integrating horticulture with agriculture to improve the farmers income and to sequester carbon at the farm level.