Varanasi: Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment (DA&FE), Government of Odisha, visited the International Rice Research Institute – South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) here on Tuesday. The visit aimed to strengthen collaboration on sustainable rice systems, digital agriculture, and value chain development.
Delegation Welcomed at ISARC
The delegation was welcomed by Vikas Kumar Singh, Interim Director and Regional Breeding Lead for South Asia at ISARC, along with senior scientists and team members. They highlighted ISARC's ongoing initiatives in Odisha and its role in advancing climate-resilient and technology-driven agriculture.
Key Focus Areas
The visit sought to further strengthen collaboration between IRRI and the Government of Odisha, with emphasis on enhancing rice-based agri-food systems through geospatial and digital technologies, capacity building, and value addition strategies.
Workshop Inauguration
A key highlight was the inauguration of a two-day workshop by the Secretary under the Innovative Project Scheme titled 'Optimizing Agricultural Land Use and Rice Fallow in Odisha with Geospatial Technology and a Decision Support System.' The workshop brought together around 23 government officials from Odisha and underscored the growing role of geospatial technologies in enabling data-driven agricultural intervention and planning.
Briefings and Facility Tour
During the visit, Swati Nayak, IRRI Scientist-cum-India Country Manager (Interim), briefed the delegation on IRRI's work in India and ISARC's key research and development initiatives in Odisha. Senior officials from the Government of Odisha, including the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Additional Secretary, and Joint Director, participated in discussions. A detailed tour of ISARC's state-of-the-art facilities showcased advancements in plant and soil science, remote-sensing based decision support systems, speed breeding for rapid varietal development, a mechanization hub, and regenerative agricultural practices.
Value Chain Development
The delegation also visited the Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA) laboratories, where discussions focused on strengthening Odisha's rice and millet value chain through innovative product development, processing, and value addition. This was followed by an in-depth review of the project 'Promoting Self-Help Group-Led Entrepreneurship through Rice Value Addition', which aims to identify the potential of traditional rice landraces and popular rice varieties in Odisha for developing value-added food products for domestic and export markets.
Proposed Facility
The project also plans to establish a Specialty Rice and Millet Factory-cum-Training Centre in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, equipped with advanced food processing infrastructure to promote entrepreneurship and capacity building. Emphasis was placed on promoting nutritionally enriched low glycemic index (GI), ultra-low GI, and high-protein rice varieties bred by IRRI, as well as rice-millet based food products derived from low GI rice and rice bran to improve nutrition and public health outcomes.
Project Review and Conclusion
The review was led by Principal Investigator Nese Sreenivasulu along with IRRI scientists and the project team. The visit concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen collaboration between IRRI and the Government of Odisha, focusing on scaling geospatial and digital solutions, reinforcing rice value chains, and advancing climate-resilient agriculture across the state.
