ICAR-RCER Newsletter Jul.-Dec.2018

Abstract

“Our mandate is to undertake strategic and adaptive research for efficient integrated management of natural resources to enhance productivity of agricultural production systems in Eastern India” ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region is a multi-commodity and multidisciplinary institute catering to the eastern states of India. Eastern India is endowed with natural resources. However, in terms of agricultural productivity and livelihood status, it is still far away from the national average. The region has about 71% marginal farmers, small and fragmented landholdings, lack of mechanization, the lowest per capita income, the highest population density, poor infrastructure facilities for storage, processing and marketing, limit adoption of modern farming practices in the region. Eastern region comprising of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal accounts for nearly 82% of the total rice-fallow area (11.7 m ha) of the country. These areas are suitable for intensification with a short duration (≤3 months), low water-consuming grain legumes such as chickpea, lentils, blackgram, greengram, and oilseeds viz. linseed and safflower, to improve smallholder farmer’s incomes and soil health. With appropriate planning and policy interventions combined with efficient crop production technologies, these fallow lands could be converted in to productive lands in a phased manner. Even if 50% (~ 5.0 m ha) of the rice fallows in eastern India with minimum of 0.5t/ha pulse productivity could be brought under pulses, an additional production of 2.5 m tones could be added in national pulse basket, besides improving the soil health. This additional pulse production will not only cut foreign exchange incurred on the import, but also provide nutritional security to weaker sections of the society.