All India Coordinated Fruit Research Project concludes at Bihar Agricultural University

Sabour: The All India Coordinated Fruit Research Project (AICFRP) concluded on Friday at Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour, under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. The closing session marked the end of a four-day annual workshop, attended by leading agricultural scientists and researchers from across the country.

The closing ceremony was chaired by Dr A.K. Singh, Director of Research at BAU, Sabour. Other dignitaries present included Dr Subhash Chandra, former Director of NCIPM, New Delhi; Dr P.C. Tripathi, Chief Scientist, ICAR; Dr Prakash Patil, Project Coordinator (Fruits) at IIHR, Bengaluru; and Dr Ravindra Kumar, Secretary of the Local Organising Committee, BAU. The session was moderated by Dr S. Priya Devi, Scientist at IIHR.

Over the course of 14 technical sessions, fruit scientists from various institutions presented their research achievements, addressing challenges in the horticulture sector and proposing innovative solutions.

Focus on farmer-scientist dialogue

In a significant departure from previous years, the workshop included an open dialogue between scientists and farmers on the third day. Progressive farmers from Bihar, including Manish Kumar Singh from Bhagalpur, Dhananje Kumar from Munger, Anish Kumar from Begusarai, Ashok Chaudhary – known as the ‘Mango Man of Bihar’ – and Chandan Kumar Singh from Navgachiya, highlighted key issues such as mango fruiting challenges, post-harvest technology gaps, lack of cold storage facilities, the need for indigenous fruit cultivation, and pest management in orchards.

Scientists, including Dr Sachin Chauhan from Pariya Centre and Dr J.S. Chaudhary from Ranchi Centre, provided scientific solutions and assured farmers that their concerns would be prioritised in future research.

During the closing session, 11 new fruit-related technologies were unveiled. Certificates were awarded to scientists for outstanding contributions, with Aravari Centre recognised for maximum revenue production, Ludhiana Centre for its work with Scheduled Castes, Megajima Centre for work in Scheduled Tribe areas, and a centre in West Bengal for high-quality research publications. Dr Ingle was named Best Project Officer.

In his presidential address, Dr A.K. Singh lauded the efforts of the scientists and encouraged them to continue their innovative work. He also expressed gratitude to Dr D.R. Singh, Vice-Chancellor of BAU, Sabour, for his support.