Tura, Sept 25: A programme to equip farmers with advanced practices to boost productivity and encourage sustainable agriculture, particularly for citrus and other horticultural crops was organised at the foothills of Nokrek Naional Park in Garo Hills on Thursday.
The Department of Horticulture, NEHU Tura Campus, in collaboration with the Tura Adventure Club, organized the Capacity Building Program at Oragitok village, West Garo Hills, to promote the adoption of ICAR-IIHR technologies for citrus and other horticultural crops.
The program was graced by Dr. Kalkame Ch. Momin, Head, Department of Horticulture, NEHU, as Chief Guest, along with other dignitaries including Arun Singh N. Marak, President, Community Development of Oragitok; Dulal Sangma, Advisor, and Souvik Sanyal, Jt. Secretary, Tura Adventure Club. Also present were experts like Dr. Subham Bhakta (BARC Mumbai), Prof. C. P. Suresh, Prof. Gopal Shukla, Dr. Y.S.S. Singh, Dr. Devesh, and Dr. Flory, along with 35 students from NEHU Tura Campus.
Over 120 farmers, including many women, participated in the program. Farmers received inputs such as Arka Citrus Special (2 kg), Arka Vegetable Special (1 kg), Arka Microbial Consortium (1 kg), Neem Soap (1 kg), and Arka Vegetable Seed Kits containing 10 varieties of vegetable seeds.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Kalkame Ch. Momin emphasized the role of Arka inputs in addressing micronutrient deficiencies and improving crop yield and quality. Prof. C.P. Suresh, the program’s nodal officer, highlighted the contribution of NEHU and ICAR-IIHR in enhancing nutritional security and acknowledged the support of Dr. Tushar Khanti Behera (Director, ICAR-IIHR) and Dr. T. Shakthivel (Principal Scientist & Nodal Officer, IIHR NEH Region).
The program sensitized participants to sustainable farming practices while encouraging health, nutrition, and livelihood development among farmers of the Oragitok and Nokrek region.
