Patna: Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare Ram Nath Thakur on Thursday urged agricultural scientists to work towards enhancing the production and quality of makhana, which is produced in abundance in Bihar.Inaugurating the Makhana Research and Development Centre of Excellence at Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), Pusa, the minister said the centre would play a pivotal role in improving makhana productivity, benefiting farmers and entrepreneurs. The govt is committed to supporting research and development in agriculture to improve farmers’ livelihoods and promote agricultural growth, he said.Thakur lauded the university’s contributions in agricultural education and research in recent years. He congratulated vice-chancellor Punyavrat Suvimalendu Pandey for his pioneering work in digital agriculture and natural farming and said the university’s scientists would undertake extensive research to alleviate farmers’ distress by enhancing farm income.The programme was attended by horticulture commissioner, department of agriculture and farmers welfare, govt of India, Prabhat Kumar, and more than 500 farmers from different districts. It was chaired by vice-chancellor Punyavrat Suvimalendu Pandey.In his presidential remarks, the vice-chancellor said the newly established makhana research centre marks an important milestone in the university’s history and will focus on advanced research and development, addressing the needs of farmers and industry. “We aim to make makhana cultivation more profitable and sustainable through scientific interventions. The university has constituted a team of 17 experts, including scientists, breeders, agriculture engineers and extension scientists to develop a complete value chain of makhana and help farmers in each and every aspect,” he said.Addressing a seminar on makhana research, horticulture commissioner Prabhat Kumar appreciated RPCAU’s efforts in promoting research and development in horticulture and agriculture. He said deliberations at the seminar would pave the way for innovative solutions to problems faced by the makhana industry.Research director A K Singh said the new centre would facilitate cutting-edge research on makhana, including varietal improvement, production technologies and post-harvest management. This would enhance quality and yield, benefiting farmers and the industry economically, he said.
