Visit of Shri Ram Nath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India at ICAR-CIRCOT, Mumbai

Shri Ram Nath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, visited ICAR-CIRCOT, Mumbai on 27th November 2025. Dr. S. K. Shukla, Director, warmly welcomed the Hon’ble Minister and delivered a concise presentation outlining the institute’s history, recently developed technologies, and major achievements over the past five years. He also apprised him of several pressing challenges faced by the institute, including delays in filling vacant staff positions and the deteriorating condition of the main building and staff quarters. 

The Hon’ble Minister appreciated the efforts and achievements of the institute, while noting that there remains considerable scope for further improvement. He urged the institute to strengthen its outreach, especially towards farmers for improving their economic well-being. He emphasized the need to enhance the income of cotton-growing farmers and advised the institute to assess the increase in per-acre income resulting from its interventions and technologies. 

He expressed concern over the limited land and space available to the institute highlighting the difficulties in establishing and expanding facilities within such constraints. He advised exploring the possibility of relocating the institute to a more spacious site to facilitate the expansion of laboratories and other associated facilities. He also suggested examining the feasibility of establishing a regional branch of CIRCOT in Bihar. The visit concluded with the Hon’ble Minister extending his blessings to the institute and its staff, encouraging them to strive for greater achievements in the future.