SRI VIJAYA PURAM, June 05, 2026: As part of the ongoing "Khet Bachao Abhiyan" campaign to promote sustainable agriculture and soil health management, ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI), Sri Vijaya Puram, in collaboration with ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), South Andaman, and the Department of Agriculture, UT-ATMA, organized two awareness programmes on 5th June 2026 in South Andaman district.
The first programme was conducted at Beodnabad village, where a team comprising Dr. Y. Ramakrishna, Principal Scientist & Head, ICAR-KVK, South Andaman; Dr. Raj Narayan, Principal Scientist & Head; Dr. P. Prabhu, Scientist; and Dr. Arkadeb Mukhopadhyay, along with officials from the Department of Agriculture and UT-ATMA, interacted with farmers and other stakeholders. The programme was attended by Shri S. Boominathan, Zilla Parishad Member; Smti. Pachiammal, Panchayat Samiti Member; and Shri Deepu G. Unnithan, Deputy Ranger.
A similar programme was simultaneously organized at Chouldari village, with the participation of 24 farmers. The programme was led by Dr. P. K. Singh, Principal Scientist & Head; Dr. Chittaranjan Ruel, Scientist; and Dr. Sharath S. Y., Scientist, ICAR-CIARI, along with Dr. Zachariah George, Subject Matter Specialist, ICAR-KVK, South Andaman. Officials from the Department of Agriculture, including Smti. Shahana Begum, Smti. Sunita Bairagi, and Smti. Sunitha Kumari, also participated.
During the programmes, scientists and officials highlighted the importance of balanced fertilizer use, soil health conservation, Natural Farming, Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for sustainable crop production. Farmers were encouraged to adopt eco-friendly farming practices to improve productivity while protecting natural resources.
The programmes concluded with interactive farmer-scientist discussions, providing farmers an opportunity to seek solutions to field-level problems and receive scientific guidance. The campaign is being implemented under the guidance of Dr. Jai Sunder, Director, ICAR-CIARI, and Dr. D. Basantia, Director of Agriculture, to promote sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.