Post News Network
Nayagarh, April 21: Even as Industries minister Debiprasad Mishra in a district development council meeting recently had proposed to promote the pulses harvested in the district as a brand, the irony of the fact is that the pulses research centre in the district has been plagued by several irregularities.
The minister had directed the concerned authorities to take measures to promote pulses cultivation among the farmers and provide them with proper technical advice and aid to ensure that good quality of pulses are harvested. But, no measure has been taken to this effect so far thanks to the administrative apathy and lack of political will.
It may be mentioned here that the pulses research centre at Nayagarh is the first of its kind in the state. The government had established the research centre in 1961. The centre worked properly between 1965 and 1972.
At that time, two high quality green gram seeds – Sujata and Jyoti – were invented in the centre. The seeds were accepted by farmers throughout the country. The uniqueness of these seeds was that the crops can survive in extreme climatic conditions and that they need less water for irrigation.
The centre was established on 39 acre of land – spread over two blocks. While the agriculture department has 20 acre land, the research centre has the rest 19 acres. Out of the 19 acres land owned by the centre, only 12 acre is being cultivated.
Apart from pulses, paddy is also being cultivated on the land. Research work on paddy is also conducted in the centre. The State Seeds Corporation sends paddy seeds, which is cultivated in the research centre. The produced paddy is again sent to the seeds corporation.
The Indian Institute of Pulses Research Centre at Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh also sends seeds of peas and other pulses to the research centre here. The seeds are cultivated here and the feedback about the quality is sent to Kanpur.
However, the cultivation and research activities are badly affected for a long time as there is no irrigation facility in the research centre. The main reason is that the centre does not have the required number of staff.
While the registered number of staff in the centre is 14, seven posts including that of the pulses research officer are lying vacant. One officer has to discharge the duties of three officers.
Assistant Agriculture officer Aparna Priyadarshini Patra has to shoulder the additional charge of the research officer, farm officer and central pulses officer.
When asked, Patra said due to staff shortage, research activities and administrative work have been affected. Lack of permanent labourers is another problem the centre has been facing. It is difficult to run the centre and to conduct research activities by hiring labourers from outside, she added.
Meanwhile, residents here demanded that the administration take immediate measures to revive the centre before it is closed. They added that the centre should work for promoting pulses farming among the locals and to provide them with technical advice.
