Farmers throng research institute to get seeds of new wheat varieties

The Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) witnessed a large turnout of farmers from 13 districts of Punjab on Saturday as the distribution of newly developed wheat seed varieties kicked off.

The institute, known for its research and variety development, started providing these new varieties of seeds to farmers as part of its drive to boost wheat production in the country. The programme will last till October 24.

Around 16,500 farmers got themselves registered for the benefit. Of them, nearly 1,400 farmers from Punjab got the seeds on the first day. On the second day on Sunday, farmers from 10 remaining districts from Punjab will come to get the seeds, while on Monday, farmers from 10 districts of Haryana will get seeds. Farmers from remaining districts will get the seeds on Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, farmers from UP, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and other states will get the benefit.

Newly launched variety DBW-327 was among the top choice of the farmers as nearly 4,000 farmers got themselves registered for this variety, followed by DBW-371 by nearly 3,700 farmers, DBW-372 by nearly 3,400 farmers, DBW-187 by around 2,800 farmers, said Ratan Tiwari, Director, IIWBR.

He said that last year, India achieved a record wheat production of 113.29 million tonnes and this year, the target had been set at 115 million tonnes by the Union government. “These varieties will help in achieving the target of the country. Farmers of Haryana, Punjab, UP, Madhya Pradesh and other states will contribute towards achieving this target,” said the Director.

Meanwhile, the institute also organised a farmer-scientist interaction programme, which was chaired by SK Malthotra, Vice-Chancellor, Maharana Pratap Horticulture University, Karnal, who exhorted farmers to adopt climate-resilient and disease-resistant new varieties and technologies. He also stressed on bio-fortified varieties of wheat having high protein, zinc and iron contents.

Tiwari further highlighted that the Union Government had increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat and encouraged farmers to consider setting up wheat processing plants to diversify their income, adding that training for wheat product preparation would soon be conducted at the institute.

Speaking about the new wheat varieties, Amit Sharma, nodal officer, said there was significant demand for DBW-327, DBW-371, DBW-372 and other varieties due to their high yield potential, climate-resilient and disease-resistance traits. He said that these varieties were developed considering the diverse geographical conditions across India.

Subhash Gill, principal investigator of resource management, gave a presentation on advanced agronomic practices to increase wheat yield. Earlier, farmers from Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fathegarh Sahib and other districts, started arriving early morning before the opening of the counter. “We came here in Karnal around 6.30 am and got the seeds that we had registered for,” said Satnam Singh, a farmer.