BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 22nd November 2025: A one-day training programme on Climate Smart Agriculture and Farmers–Scientist Interaction has been successfully organised today at the Bagma Agri Producer Company Limited’s (BAPCL’s) Experimental Farm under the NICRA Crop Improvement initiative. The event has offered a dynamic platform for farmers to engage directly with agricultural scientists and enhance their preparedness for climate-related challenges.
A major highlight of the programme has been the presentation of nearly 4,000 advanced breeder lines and 700 ACRIP entries of diverse paddy varieties, showcased by Dr. Rahul Kumar, Scientist (Plant Breeding), ICAR Research Complex, Tripura Centre. During his technical session, Dr. Kumar has explained that these extensive germplasm resources represent years of systematic crop improvement research aimed at identifying high-yielding, stress-tolerant, and region-specific rice varieties.
He has further informed that the breeder lines and ACRIP entries are currently undergoing multi-location evaluation to shortlist varieties most suitable for Tripura’s changing climatic conditions. According to him, the availability of such a large and diverse set of genetic resources will significantly enhance ongoing efforts to develop climate-resilient and farmer-friendly cultivars.
The programme has been enriched by the presence of Dr. N. P. Singh, Former Director of ICAR–National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Baramati, who shared insights on climate-resilient agriculture and stressed the importance of adopting stress-tolerant varieties to safeguard farm productivity.
Jitendra Majumder, MLA, Kakraban Constituency, has also attended the event and appreciated the organisers for facilitating direct farmer–scientist interaction. He assured full support for initiatives that strengthen farmers’ adaptive capacity.
Leaders from Bagma Agro Producer Company Limited (BAPCL), including CMD Sudip Majumder and CEO Md. Farukul Islam, participated actively and emphasised the critical role of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in ensuring quality inputs, market linkage, and wider adoption of climate-smart technologies.
Nearly 40 farmers from nearby Gram Panchayats and Village Committees have attended the training. They actively interacted with experts, discussed field-level challenges, and received technical advice on adopting improved varieties and sustainable practices.
The programme has concluded with a shared commitment to promoting climate-smart agriculture and empowering farmers with advanced genetic resources especially the 4,000 breeder lines and 700 ACRIP entries to build resilience against emerging climatic stresses.
