Awareness Programme on Clean Cotton Production and Value Addition by CIRCOT, Nagpur

Ginning Training Centre, ICAR-CIRCOT, Nagpur in association with Confederation Indian Textiles Industry – Cotton Development Research Association (CITI-CDRA), Mumbai organized an awareness programme on Post-Harvest Management Practices for Clean Cotton Production & Value Addition to it’s By-Produce on Feb 3, 2024 at Village Savandri, Taluka Kalmeshwar, Nagpur. Dr. S.K. Shukla, Director, ICAT-CIRCOT, Mumbai, Shri Prakash Rao, CEO, Green Farms, Nagpur, Shri Yogesh Bangde, Shivam Bio-Fuel, LLP, Nagpur, Dr. V.G. Vairale, Coordinator, CITI-CDRA, Mumbai, Dr. K. Pandiyan, Sr. Scientist and Officer In-charge, GTC, ICAR-CIRCOT, Nagpur, Dr. Arjun Tayade, Head, Division of Crop Production, ICAR-CICR, Nagpur, Dr. A. Manikandan, Senior Scientist, ICAR-CICR, Nagpur, Shri Rakesh Vasu, Taluka Agrl. Officer, Kalmeshwar, Smt. Sarita D. Kale, Sarpanch, Savandri, Kalmeshwar, Shri Shravan Mahapatraoji Bhingare, Upsabhapati, Kalmeshwar graced the occasion.

At the outset, Dr. K. Pandiyan, and Shri. G.H. Wairale, welcomed the gathering. Dr. Pandiyan delivered the welcome address and provided an overview of the program. Shri Prakash Rao and Shri Yogesh Bangde motivated farmers to utilize their biomass by selling to the industries that ensures additional income. Shri Rakesh Vasu, briefed various government initiatives and subsidies on equipment for the cotton farmers. Dr. Arjun Tayade, explained the good farm practices to control the pink boll-worm menace in the cotton and improve the cotton quality. Dr. Manikandan discussed about high-density planting systems (HDPS) and mulching, to boost the productivity. Dr. S.V. Ghadge, Principal Scientist, GTC in Nagpur, addressed various methods for collecting cotton stalks. Dr. Varsha Satankar, Scientist, GTC gave insights on the utilization of cotton stalks for oyster mushroom production. Er. D.U. Patil, Chief Technical Officer, briefed the importance of clean cotton picking to ensure cleanliness in the harvesting process. Dr. S.K. Shukla, Chief guest of the programme, emphasized the importance of maintaining high-quality cotton to remain competitive in the global market. He encouraged farmers to sell their cotton rather than hoarding it. Additionally, he emphasized about CIRCOT’s plan to establish a custom hiring center at GTC Nagpur, where farmers will have access to chipper machines. This initiative aims to empower farmers to sell their chipped materials to industries, to enhance economic opportunities. During the programme, progressive farmers of scheduled caste were felicitated.