State starts 'Lab to Field' initiative to boost agri sector

Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government is initiating a "Lab to Field" programme to further boost the state's agriculture sector.

The work of the initial phase of the initiative has already started and the initiative has been taken up to ensure that research findings in the state research centres and agriculture universities get properly implemented to help farmers get equipped with updated methods and technology.

Asish Banerjee, the state Agriculture minister, said: "This is a unique initiate as such a move has been taken up to empower farmers with new technologies that will take the state further ahead in the agriculture sector."

Explaining the method that will be followed under the "law to field" programme, a senior official of the state Agriculture department said that detailed discussions on research findings among all concerned stakeholders including scientists, department's officials and experts is the first step of the same. It has already been carried out with researchers at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya and Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya. The same will be undertaken with all the state-run research centres. Though it will be a continuous process, a thorough assessment over all the research findings will be undertaken to implement the selected ones at suitable cultivable land as per the requirement. Initial implementation will be carried out on small areas as a pilot project. Subsequent steps of implementing the same in a major scale will be taken up if the pilot projects are found fruitful.

The research findings of paddy seeds that can sustain tolerating salinity in soil have been found to be an immense beneficiary mainly at super cyclone Amphan affected areas in South 24-Parganas.

At present in the wake of Covid pandemic the discussions with researchers are taking place through video conference and the second phase of the same is going to take place soon after the Puja, said a senior official.