Agartala, 13th November 2026 : Highlighting Tripura’s growing contribution to agricultural biodiversity conservation, the Toimukh Uttar Pulinpur Village Watershed Committee of Khowai district has earned national recognition by receiving the prestigious Plant Genome Saviour Community Award for 2023–24.
The award was conferred on November 12 at a ceremony in New Delhi by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA), functioning under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. The honour includes a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh, besides a citation and a memento.
Several senior officials and distinguished personalities attended the programme. Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, graced the occasion as the chief guest. Among others present were Atish Chandra, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; Agriculture Commissioner P.K. Singh; Dr M.L. Jat, Director General of ICAR and Secretary, DARE; National Biodiversity Authority Chairperson Virendra Tiwari; PPV&FRA Chairperson Dr T.K. Mahapatra and Registrar General Dr D.K. Agrawal.
The recognition acknowledges the community’s remarkable contribution to safeguarding indigenous agricultural resources and traditional farming practices. Spread across nearly 120 hectares, the committee has been actively conserving and cultivating numerous traditional crop varieties, including different varieties of rice, maize, tomato, pumpkin, pigeon pea, turmeric, gourds, mustard, foxtail millet and chilli.
The community has also continued its traditional seed-sharing and exchange system, helping preserve valuable indigenous seeds while ensuring that generations-old agricultural knowledge remains alive among local farmers.
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Khowai, has been instrumental in strengthening these conservation activities through technical assistance, expert guidance and regular support to the farming community.
The achievement marks an important milestone for Tripura’s agricultural sector, demonstrating how village-level initiatives can make a significant contribution to conserving plant genetic resources. It is also expected to inspire other farming communities in the state to protect traditional seeds, preserve indigenous crop diversity and adopt environmentally sustainable agricultural practices.
