Quinquennial Review Team (QRT) meeting of the All India Co-ordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP) for west zone (zone VI)

                Quinquennial Review Team (QRT) meeting of All India Co-ordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP) of the west zone (Zone VI) comprising of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa states was held at ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa, during August 17-18th, 2019.  The meeting was chaired by Dr. H. S. Gupta, former Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.  The members of the QRT team Dr. R. Sridhar, Dr. S. Kundu, Dr. T. V. K. Singh and Dr. P. S. Birthal were also present during the meeting.   Dr. L. V. Subba Rao, member secretary of the QRT welcomed the chairman, members and participants and gave a overview of the ongoing rice research in the west zone.  Dr. H. S. Gupta, in his address emphasized on the recent accomplishments in rice research and future challenges for the young rice workers in the country in general and west zone in particular.  He further highlighted the importance of balanced use of nutrient application for crop plants for sustaining the productivity.  Dr. E. B. Chakurkar, Director, ICAR-CCARI, highlighted the research accomplishments of the institute.  He further stated the rice varieties viz., Goa dhan-1, Goa dhan-2, Goa dhan-3 and Goa dhan-4 developed by the institute are gaining popularity among the farming community in Goa and neighbouring Karnataka especially in the coastal saline areas.  All the co-operators from west zone presented their research achievements for the five period from 2012 to 2017.  The chairman and members of the QRT revieved the work done and given their suggestions for the improvement of the work.  Experts later visited the Front Line Demonstrations and participatory seed production plots of the ICAR-CCARI in the farmers' field and had interactions with the farmers.  The two day's meeting was concluded with the vote of thanks from the local organizing secretary Dr. Manohara, K. K., Senior Scientist in Plant Breeding.