KANUBARI, OCT 15:
The ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Longding, organised Women Farmers’ Day 2026 at Mopakhat in Kanubari on Thursday, with 36 women farmers, including Gram Panchayat members and self-help group (SHG) members, participating in the programme.
The programme brought together a team of KVK scientists led by Senior Scientist and Head Dr Utpal Kumar Bhattacharyya, along with Chief Technical Officer (Agronomy) A. Kirankumar Singh, Subject Matter Specialist (Vegetable Science) Vikas, SMS (Land and Water Management Engineering) Dr Amit Kumar, and SMS (Plant Pathology) Dr Deep Narayan Mishra.
Welcoming the participants, Dr Bhattacharyya encouraged them to adopt advanced agricultural technologies developed by research institutions to improve the production and productivity of field and vegetable crops.
Kirankumar Singh highlighted the significance of Women Farmers’ Day and the contribution of women to crop and vegetable cultivation, livestock rearing and fish production in the Northeast. He also urged the participants to share their knowledge with fellow farmers and young people to encourage agricultural activities and enhance income opportunities.
Vikas highlighted year-round vegetable cultivation as a means of income generation, while Dr Amit Kumar explained soil and water conservation measures to minimise soil erosion and improve land and water management.
Dr Mishra discussed the use of biopesticides to control insect pests affecting crops and vegetables and reduce losses in market value.
During the interaction session, an SHG member expressed gratitude to ICAR-KVK Longding for providing technical guidance and essential inputs to support the group’s processing and value-addition enterprise over the past two years.
The interaction also revealed interest among women farmers in fruit processing and value addition. The KVK team assured them of support through training, demonstrations, seeds and planting materials.
Queries were also raised about water apple, a relatively unfamiliar fruit in Arunachal Pradesh. Kirankumar Singh highlighted the market potential of golden berry, noting its comparable market price to dragon fruit despite its smaller size.
The programme concluded with the distribution of winter and Rabi vegetable seeds, along with package-of-practices guidelines to help farmers achieve successful cultivation in the district.
