ICRO, SABC, Sadhan Coop Society, pomegranate farmer Chandraprakash bag Rural Voice NACOF Award 2023

Indian Potash Limited and National Productivity Council's associate organization ICRO (IPL Center for Rural Outreach), South Asia Biotechnology Center (SABC), Sadhan Cooperative Society Limited, and Rajasthan's pomegranate farmer Chandraprakash Mali were awarded the Rural Voice NACOF Award 2023 for their excellent work in different fields.

The awards were given by NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand at the Rural Voice Agriculture Conclave in New Delhi. ICRO, the awardee organization in the Agriculture Extension category, was established in March 2022 by Indian Potash Limited jointly with the National Productivity Council as part of its CSR.

Its objective was to start social work related to rural outreach, healthcare, promotion of literacy, sustainability, productivity, and climate change. The work that ICRO is doing under its AMRUT internship program. Prominent among them are - promoting productivity-related employment by enhancing vocational skills among youth and rural people, creating awareness about increasing agricultural productivity, creating a network of young entrepreneurs with skills to work in rural environments, youth m, to work towards improving knowledge resources and ensuring environmental sustainability and conservation of natural resources.

Dr Rajeev Ranjan received this award on behalf of ICRO. Senior IAS officer Rajeev Ranjan also heads this project. Expressing happiness on receiving the award, he said that getting recognition for ICRO's efforts in the development of agriculture and rural areas shows that we are moving in the right direction.

The award in the Agriculture Technology category was given to Jodhpur-based South Asia Biotechnology Center (SABC). It is a DSIR recognized scientific and industrial research organization. SABC, popularly known as Biotechcentre, serves as a knowledge and technology transfer hub and promotes sustainable agricultural production at the grassroots level. Furthermore, the SABC aims to bridge the knowledge gap in agriculture, promote transfer of technology and bio-innovation, popularize integrated pest and nutrient management with improved agricultural practices and promote good quality food for domestic and export markets and to help the farmers for the production of goods.

SABC is registered with Niti Aayog NGO Darpan. It has signed MoUs with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Spices Board of India and NABARD.

SABC Founding Director Bhagirath Choudhury received the award. He said that the farmers are benefiting from the efforts being made by them to spread technology and its use among farmers. Giving the example of cumin farmers of Rajasthan, he said that the price of cumin which the farmers were getting till a few years ago, has now increased by more than three times. This has become possible due to the use of technology in cumin cultivation. He said that now they are making similar efforts for the farmers growing fennel. It is expected that better results will emerge in the next four years.

The award in the PACS (Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society) category was given to Sadhan Sahakari Samiti Limited, located in Nidhauli Kalan, Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. Apart from distributing fertilizers and seeds to its members, this society also purchases wheat and paddy from them, distributes short-term loans through Kisan Credit, and distributes loans for cattle. It also operates Dharamkanta. Chairman of the committee, Yogendrapal Singh Solanki, received this award from Ramesh Chand.

The award in the Best Farming Practices category was given to pomegranate farmer Chandraprakash Mali of Rajasthan. He has made pomegranate cultivation possible in the desert of Rajasthan. Chandraprakash Mali of Dechu village in Phalodi district cultivates pomegranates on 80 bighas of his 123 bighas of land. He has planted more than 9,000 pomegranate trees in a field surrounded by sand dunes. He has presented a great example of what can be the result of the confluence of technology and human labour. Thanks to water-saving sprinkler irrigation, gardeners also cultivate mustard, gram, cumin, isabgol, and groundnut.

Chandraprakash Mali said that if a farmer is determined to do something, it can be achieved with continuous efforts. The gardener, who became an example for crores of farmers of the country by bringing a revolution in agriculture and horticulture, expressed happiness on receiving the award.