Agriculture Minister Chouhan Calls for Tech-Driven Solutions for Citrus Cultivation
, visited the ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute (CCRI), Nagpur, on Sunday and chaired a comprehensive review meeting with top officials.
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This was Chouhan's first visit to CCRI and also the maiden tour of an agriculture minister in the last 10 years. CCRI Director Dilip Ghosh, ADG (horticultural sciences) VB Patel, along with scientists and staff members of the institute, were present during the meeting.
Chouhan, referring to himself as "Vaigyaniko ke mitra aur Kisano ke sevak," commended CCRI for its significant role in advancing citrus research and development in the country.
He emphasised the need to strengthen the institute's outreach and collaborative efforts with citrus growers nationwide.
Underscoring the importance of citriculture in enhancing farmers' income, he called for the adoption of technology-driven, farmer-centric solutions to address key challenges in citrus cultivation.
The minister urged scientists to focus on enhancing productivity, developing export-quality citrus varieties, expanding the production of clean planting material, and promoting value-added utilisation of citrus waste and juice processing.
He also encouraged the active participation of scientists in the upcoming nationwide Pre-Kharif Campaign under the "Viksit Bharat Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan," scheduled from 29 May to 12 June 2025.
He highlighted that the campaign is aimed at bridging the gap between agricultural scientists and the farming community by addressing grassroots challenges and disseminating innovative technologies to transform Indian agriculture.
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Ghosh presented a detailed overview of the institute's recent achievements, ongoing research initiatives, and future strategic roadmap aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. He highlighted CCRI's pivotal contributions in the development of improved citrus varieties, sustainable production technologies, value addition, and capacity-building programmes for citrus growers.
As a token of recognition for excellence in citrus cultivation, five progressive citrus growers from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh were felicitated by the minister for their outstanding achievements and successful adoption of ICAR-CCRI technologies.
The visit concluded with an interactive session where the minister engaged with the scientists to discuss key innovation areas and the future roadmap for the citrus sector in line with the objectives of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
The minister also visited the institute's citrus nursery, appreciating the efforts in producing high-quality disease-free planting material.
"The visit of the Hon'ble Minister marked a significant step towards reinforcing the national commitment to agricultural innovation and reaffirmed the crucial role of ICAR-CCRI in transforming the citrus sector in India," Ghosh said.
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