TAWANG, 15 Sep: A ‘buckwheat field day and farmers-scientists interaction’ programme was organised in Gyangkhar village in Tawang district by the Tawang KVK recently.
During the interaction programme, Almora (Uttarakhand)-based Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS) principal scientist Dr RK Khulbe apprised the farmers of the initiatives taken by the VPKAS for promotion of millets and potential crops in the district, which include introduction of improved buckwheat variety VL Ugal 7.
Senior scientist and buckwheat breeder Dr DC Joshi highlighted the advantages of growing the high-yielding and early-maturing buckwheat variety VL Ugal 7, and explained how higher profit can be earned from the crop through value addition.
Urging the farmers to share the seeds of VL Ugal 7 produced by them with other farmers for wider dissemination of the variety, he informed them about the additional precautions to be taken during buckwheat seed production due to its highly cross-pollinated nature.
VPKAS family resource management senior scientist Dr Kushagra Joshi apprised the farmers of the drudgery involved in harvesting and dehulling of buckwheat.
Awareness about associated health hazards in post-harvest activities, as well as potential measures to mitigate drudgery and health hazards, was raised to ensure the safety of the farmers.
Engineer Shyam Nath highlighted the role of engineering interventions in post-harvest processing of buckwheat, and explained how their adoption can save time and cost and reduce the drudgery involved in post-harvest processing, besides minimising losses and improving quality of the produce.
Tawang KVK agronomy expert Dr CK Singh, who has been instrumental in disseminating VPKAS technologies, including buckwheat variety VL Ugal 7, in the district, informed that “due to its shorter duration, the variety is expected to gain popularity among the farmers.”
The programme was attended by 18 farmers, who expressed appreciation for the introduction of improved buckwheat variety VL Ugal 7 in their village, and expressed happiness with the performance of the variety. (DIPRO)
