The Union cabinet committee on May 18 approved the proposal to set up an Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Assam with 100 per cent outlay of central government on 587 acres of land provided by the Assam government.
With the cabinet’s approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the institute at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district on May 26.
Agriculture and farmers welfare minister, Radha Mohan Singh said that IARI-Assam would be a post graduate institute of higher learning in agricultural education and it will have all the hallmark identities of IARI in New Delhi, including all sectors of agriculture like field crops, horticulture crops, agro-forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, poultry, piggery, silk rearing, honey production, etc.
Singh informed that IARI-Assam would work on the agrarian challenges and complexities of Northeast India. The institute will work in coordination with existing central and state government R&D institutions and private sector enterprises for undertaking research, education, extension programs in its mission towards developing quality human resource, generation of farmer-friendly technologies to enhance productivity, quality, profitability, promote agro-based industries and generate employment opportunities for holistic and sustainable development of the agriculture sector in the Northeast region.
The new institute in Assam will be an off campus of IARI, New Delhi and integrated multi-disciplinary research would be undertaken in school mode i.e. Schools of Crop Sciences, Natural Resource Management, and Animal Sciences & Fisheries.
